Girl of Steel
by megamatt09
Summary: Kara has to step up to take the mantle of her cousin after the consequences of the final battle with Lex Luthor. Good thing she has friends and a good support network, because she's going to need it. Kara/Multi, Yuri.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Eulogy.**

* * *

"My dear friends, we are gathered here to mourn the passing of one of Metropolis's favorite sons. This tireless crusader served this city well and fought the good fight in the name of Truth, Justice, and the American Way. In the name of God, he has fallen, brutally, struck down before us. It will not only be Metropolis will mourn the passing of its favorite son, but the entire world will be a lot less safe without the presence of this benevolent man."

This funeral was extravagant, one of the greatest turn outs in all of Metropolis. Countless individuals lined up as far as the eye could see. The rich and the famous showed up to pay their respects, along with celebrities. There were people there who might have not seen eye to eye with the deceased, but yet they showed up to pay their respects.

Naturally, given the scope of this funeral, the press was most certainly in attendance to say goodbye to this situation.

"We might never know the pain and the sorrow he felt in his final hours when he went up against a true monster that crushed him. The power against the beast that he fought, must have been forged in the pit of fire by Lucifer himself. No matter, a true benevolent American hero has passed on today. He might not have been born in Metropolis, but we have adopted him as one of our own. We can never appreciate or thank the efforts of the deceased enough, and he was a man who is now under the guardianship of the Lord. His humble servant returns to the pearly gates, to serve a far greater power. May only God have mercy on our souls now."

People grew silent. Many had thought that the priest was pouring it on just a little bit tight.

"When doomsday struck, our hero looked it in the eyes, and said that I am not afraid," the priest continued. "He was willing to look the beast in the eye, willing to forge his way through hellfire. His noble sacrifice allowed him to serve the people one more time, and for his bravery and his purity, he has been welcomed in by the Father."

The priest paused. He could have been a rather charismatic politician if he had chosen another line of work.

"Let us pay our respects to a man who has fallen for us all, Alexander Lionel Luthor."

The priest prepared to lead everyone in a prayer. It was a closed casket funeral; no one had been allowed to even view Lex's body. Whispers were that it had been mangled too badly to be seen.

There was one individual who was not praying, she was thinking. The dark haired reporter looked on, with her violet eyes. She could see the false mourning of some of the people around her. These men were business rivals of Luthor.

They were likely plotting to seize control of his company. Luthor had no heirs, as far as Lois knew. Although she expected some bastard children to pop out of the woodwork, and try and claim hold of the throne.

Maybe he had a long lost sister, or something, Lois didn't know. Lex was a self-made orphan. Oh sure, the official word of the death of his father was that it was an accident, but Lois knew better.

Lois casually turned towards the woman sitting next to other. She looked rather subdued. Her dark hair hung a bit down past her shoulders. Her blue eyes rested behind a pair of glasses. She wore a nice female business suit that formed onto her body. Her head hung down and it was obvious that she had a light of conflicting emotion.

"Smallville, are you alright?" Lois asked.

Claire Kent turned towards her girlfriend and shook her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Lex is gone, I can't believe it."

Lois knew that she couldn't believe it. She had not been able to get the full story, but the best she could peace together was that Lex lost his fucking mind because one of his experiments and flipped out in an attempt to kill Supergirl and Superwoman.

Unfortunately for Lex, that left him dead, and everyone was a hero when they died. Lois knew that the truth would come out about Lex's death eventually.

Right now, she had to listen to a glowing tribute regarding how great Lex Luthor was and how he was a humble servant of God. From what Lois remembered, Lex had a God Complex, but that was about the only thing that connected him to the man upstairs.

"So, this is how it ends?" a brunette said behind them.

"Yes, Kara, that's how it ends," Claire said in a distracted voice.

The brunette was normally a blonde, but she was wearing a wig and a pair of glasses as a disguise. She sat next to a blue eyed redhead and a dark haired female.

Her name was Kara Kent and she worked with Lois's cousin, Chloe, on the Daily Planet Blog. She was looking at her cousin Claire, with the gravest concern. She was not taking what happened all that well, even if what happened could be only rested on the shoulders of one man and that was Lex Luthor.

"And now, as the soul of Lex Luthor is released, let us say a prayer in thanks for the noble man."

Kara barely avoided snorting. She wouldn't be surprised if Lex wrote the script for his own funeral on the off chance he died. The man seemed just vain enough to do it.

* * *

"So, Lex Luthor is dead, and a bunch of phony assholes went to his funeral and all boo-hooed his death," a shrill voice said from the radio. "Guess they all saw the light and saw what kind of a monster that Superwoman is. To think someone like that used their powers like that, to bully honest people. Sure, Lex should rot in hell, and those same people who boo-hooed him are lining up to piss on his grave when no one is looking, but you got to wonder if she drove him that way. Thought that he seemed too obsessed with Superwoman myself. The bitch is asking for something flaunting herself around town in those tight leather pants."

Claire Kent sat in the middle of the townhouse that she and Lois shared. She couldn't be bothered to turn the radio station. The shrill tone of shock jock Leslie Willis bombarded her with these heated barbs.

She was the type of woman who everyone complained about, yet, everyone listened to.

A knock on the door brought Claire out of the stupor that she was in.

"It's unlocked."

The door opened and Kara walked inside, still in her Kara Kent disguise. She walked over and wrinkled her nose when she heard Willis blabbering on the radio.

She marched over and turned it off. "You would think that was the last thing you need to listen to at the moment."

"Kara," Claire said to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm stopping by to make sure that you're okay," Kara said. She stopped Claire from saying a half assed response that she was okay. "And you're not okay."

"Superwoman disappeared after the final battle with Lex," Claire reminded her. "And she disappeared for good reason."

"And what good reason is that?" Kara inquired.

"I don't have any powers," Claire reminded her. "Lex died in a fiery explosion, but not before he exposed me to Gold Kryptonite."

Kara grew pale suddenly when she heard about that news. She looked Claire dead on in the eye. "Gold Kryptonite, please tell me your kidding?"

"Kara, I wish that I was," Claire sighed.

"How big of a piece was it?" Kara asked her. She refused to believe that Claire didn't have any options.

"It was big enough to strip me of my powers," Claire said. "You remember what Lara said, all it takes is less than a minute and all my powers are gone."

"There's got to be some way to restore them," Kara persisted stubbornly.

Granted, Gold K was the rarest of all Kryptonite out there. It had never popped up before now, but Lex somehow managed to get his hands on a piece or maybe synthesize the right chemicals to create it from the green stuff.

"Kara, you know as well as I do, there are no take backs with Gold K," Claire answered.

She got up to her feet and walked over towards the window. The dark haired heroine stared out into the city. "I hate to say it, but my life as I knew it is pretty much over."

"You're just overreacting because you lost your powers," Kara said.

She folded her arms underneath her chest and glared at her cousin. Kara was not in the mood for some angst fueled trip of guilt. According to Chloe, they happened a fair lot when Claire was in her teenage years. Given that Kara was in stasis at that time, she couldn't vouch for it at all.

"I have to admit, I wondered what it was like being normal," Claire said. Her voice had regrets in it, but at the same time, was thoughtful. "Guess I'm going to find out, aren't I?"

"It might not be so bad, and it might not be permanent," Kara suggested gently. She pulled her cousin into a tight hug. "We don't really know what the effects of Gold K are in the end. It could be temporary, you know."

"I hope that you're right, Kara," Claire said. She leaned back and frowned. "It's really funny when you think about it."

Kara raised her eyebrow and wondered why Claire could think something like this was funny.

She was only too willing to elaborate. "I always thought, wondered really, what it would be like to be normal. And now that I am and it's weird."

Kara placed her hands on her hips sternly. "Even without your powers, you're still anything but normal Claire."

"Yes," Claire said. "Don't you have to get to school?"

"Don't have any classes for a couple of hours," Kara remarked. She pressed on to ask Claire about something "Don't you have to get to work?"

"Called in sick today," Claire answered. "My mind isn't all there."

Kara thought it must have been serious if Claire was going to miss work like that.

"Straight and narrow Claire Kent, playing hooky from work," Kara said. She shook her head. "I've got to go anyway….the city isn't going to patrol itself."

Claire figured that was going to come up, well better now than later.

"Kara, about that," Claire said. Kara stopped short and turned around. "I'd prefer that you hang up the cape. Metropolis survived for years before us, it would survive for years without us."

"You want me to just give up because you lost your powers?" Kara asked. She wondered of the Gold K also altered her cousin's brain and made her more irrational than normal.

"You really need to focus on your studies, Kara," Claire protested. Kara gave a heaving sigh and she looked her cousin directly in the eye. Dead on in the eye as it might have been.

"I appreciate your concern, but my studies won't suffer, trust me on that one," Kara said. "I'm not your sidekick, Clara, so you can't tell me what to do."

"No one said that you were," Claire said. Kara gave her one of those looks, as if to say "seriously?" "Alright, plenty of people made that assumption, but I didn't. But, I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I didn't want to see you get hurt either," Kara said to her.

She couldn't help, but think if she was there, then things might have been a little bit different. If she was there, then they might have been able to defeat Lex. Kara wasn't sorry that Lex died. Claire might have been. Her own insane attempt to salvage the villain was likely the reason that she was currently without powers.

"I've got to meet Donna and Barbara," Kara told her. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine," Claire said.

It was bad enough that she felt useless without her powers, did people honestly have to ask that she was fine? Constantly, like every five minutes, did they really have to answer that?

"I'll come back after school," Kara said. She gave Claire another hug. It lingered for only a few seconds before she pulled away. Things seemed awkward after the argument that they had, likely because they were.

This was going to be a long next couple of weeks. Kara had that sick sense that crime might pick up soon. The word would spread soon Superwoman was out of the picture and the game would get ugly in Metropolis.

* * *

Claire did have a point that Kara should really focus on her studies a little bit. She was on her way to Metropolis University to do just that.

Kara saw her two girlfriends standing there. A redhead with blue eyes smiled. She wore a white top that fit around her bust and a blowing black skirt, along with stockings and stylish looking boots. She was a fairly tall girl, although she was shorter compared to her two friends.

A dark haired with blue eyes and a distinctively Greek complexion followed the redhead. She wore a tight black top that was barely able to contain her fairly sizeable breasts. It showed a little bit of cleavage and at certain angles rode up to show a toned stomach. Her dazzling legs showed off in a pair of shorts that fit tightly around her. It was actually fairly conservative compared to what other girls might be wearing.

The nineteen year old girl smiled when she greeted her friends. Donna Troy was the dark haired girl, she was also nineteen years old, and Barbara Gordon was the redhead, just a bit older than them at the ae of twenty.

"Kara, good morning!" Barbara said in a chipper tone when she greeted her. "It's good to see you today."

"Good to see you, Babs, Donna," Kara said. She stepped over and greeted them warmly.

"Diana sends her regards," Donna said. "She and Mother were only in town to attend Luthor's funeral. And Diana wanted to check up on Claire."

"Why did they have to duck and run so fast?" Kara asked.

Donna shrugged in response. "I honestly don't know, Kara. They just told me that it was an internal manner on Themyscira and told me not to worry about it.

"Which means that you're obsessing over it," Barbara suggested.

"I can only do so much," Donna said, shrugging. "They did tell me to focus on my studies and one of the reasons that I was allowed to go school with you two is if I excelled at a certain grade point average."

"Which you have," Kara said.

"Only because Barbara here has been able to tutor me," Donna replied.

Barbara shook her head. "Well, it was a bit of a culture shock for you….for both of you."

"I sort of understood everything," Kara answered.

Granted, she came from a world that had been so far advanced that anything so primitive like the technology on Earth was jarring. She had to dumb down what she knew not to overwhelm the teachers. Kara did have the knowledge to teach most of the courses she took, but there was a catch. It was at a level that no one on Earth might be able to comprehend.

"It must be rough on you, with the burden of protecting the entire city falling on you," Donna said. She grabbed Kara's hand and squeezed it. "You seem stressed out."

"I am stressed out," Kara confirmed.

"Told you," Donna murmured out of the corner of her mouth.

Barbara looked at Kara wisely, taking her other hand. "You just had been to see Claire, haven't you?"

"That transparent?" Kara asked.

"Yep," Barbara said. She looked around to see if no one happened to be lurking around. "You know the two of us will help you, if you'll have us."

"Hey, I might need all of the help that I can get," Kara said. "But, things have been fine, there has been no trouble."

Barbara sighed. "Kara, I need to introduce you to a man named Murphy. He tends to mess things up at the worst possible times and make everything go wrong at the worst possible times."

"I don't like this Murphy guy already, he's a real jerk," Donna said. She cracked her knuckles. "Why don't we track him down and beat him up?"

Barbara could barely keep a straight face at how determined Donna was to beat up this Murphy guy. "He's not a real person…he's some kind of metaphor about tempting fate….wow, I'm explaining this, to you, aren't I?"

"Culture shock," Kara said, shaking her head.

"So, how is Claire coping?" Barbara asked.

"She's in shock," Kara said. "She got stripped of her powers and as much as she hoped to be normal, I think that even she has come to the conclusion that her powers are her identity."

"That bad?" Donna asked. "Maybe it's just temporary."

"Gold Kryptonite, there are no take backs with Gold K," Kara said. "It has the ability to strip a super powered Kryptonian of their powers, even though a limited exposure"

"But, maybe it's temporary," Barbara said. She looked grim. "We don't know because the only piece of gold Kryptonite on Earth has been destroyed."

"Maybe you should pass on a message to your friend in Gotham City," Kara said.

Barbara shrugged. "It's worth a shot….but we need to get to class."

The three of them couldn't be late, that much was for sure.

* * *

"The death of Lex Luthor is a big thing, everyone's talking about it," Kara said. She gave a heaving sigh and made sure that her laptop and her books were secure in her bag.

They couldn't go into Met-U today without hearing about Lex Luthor this or Lex Luthor that. They swore that the man was being upgraded to Sainthood. The LuthorCorp PR machine was in full swing today.

"That is if he's dead in the first place," Barbara mused.

"Why, they had a funeral and everything?" Donna asked in confusion.

Barbara laughed. "Yeah, a funeral where the casket was closed and no one looked at the body. Seems awfully suspicious, doesn't it?"

It did seem like second nature for someone who had been trained by the World's Greatest Detective to be paranoid by default over things like this.

"The body was blown up and what was left, it was too grisly for anyone to see," Kara said. She had to admit Barbara made her have her doubts about whether or not it was Luthor was in that casket.

"Yes, but you didn't look into the casket," Barbara answered. Kara blinked.

"I don't make a habit in looking into people's caskets with my X-Ray vision," Kara said. That was a tad bit too morbid for her tastes.

"You're not arguing about the fact that he might have faked his own death, though?" Barbara asked.

"Anything is possible, I guess, but if he's still out there, he's not going to stay hidden for long," Kara admitted. "I suppose the Internet has been blowing up with a lot of Lex is alive and here's why, theories?"

"It's only the second most popular theory, other than the fact that Superwoman and Lex were secret lovers and when they broke up, Lex lost his mind," Barbara said. Kara gave her a rather pointed look. "That theory doesn't have any basis in reality. Well, perhaps in Lex's mind, it might, because he's obsessed with her."

Claire and Lex were friends for a long time and Kara supposed that Lex had been holding out hope for more. He had been scarily obsessed with her. Claire didn't bat for his team though and Lex might have snapped because of that.

"There must be a way to restore her powers," Kara said. Kara raised her hand and they went silent.

The waitress approached their booth and gave them their orders.

Kara held a device in the palm of her hand that muted out all noise past their booth. No one could hear them past a certain area, well unless they had super hearing, which Kara did. Regardless of that fact, they had to wait for the waitress to get out of earshot.

"Do you think that she might be able to help?" Barbara asked. "Lara, I mean."

"It's worth a shot," Kara admitted. She turned towards Donna. "Perhaps there is something on Themscrycira that could help Claire as well?"

It was then where Donna looked at Kara. "Maybe, I'm going to have to ask Diana when she comes back. She might already be on the search for something herself, but it can't hurt to ask."

"No, it can't," Kara admitted. She folded her legs together. "I suppose that a trip to the Fortress wouldn't be the worst idea. I'd have to get Claire up there and I suppose that I have to speak to get her permission to visit it."

"Why would you have to do that?" Barbara asked.

Kara promptly answered that line of question. "It's her Fortress."

Kara wasn't sure whether or not she was keyed in. All of the times she visited the Fortress, she had been with Claire.

"If we only had the gold Kryptonite," Barbara said. "And if we knew that it was man made or not?"

Kara raised her eyebrow. That was an interesting theory. Lex could have found a way to use the right chemicals to transmute regular Green Kryponite into Gold K. Rao only knew that stuff was easier to get ahold of than candy and Lex must have stockpiled enough of it to sacrifice for his experiments.

She really wished that her mother was here to shed some light on this. The AI containing her mother was damaged beyond repair though and had locked up. Lara and Kara couldn't find a way to restore Alura and add her to the Fortress.

Perhaps in time, they would. Now, Kara finished up her lunch. Barbara was willing to share some of her insight about why Lex might not be dead.

Kara honestly didn't know and there was no way to find out. Especially since whoever was in that casket, whether it was Lex or not, had been cremated and his ashes had been spread over a field in Smallville. The same field where Claire's ship crashed and Lex lost his hair. The cause of his obsession continued even in death.

' _Old habits die hard,'_ Kara thought. She finished up her soup in an absent minded way.

It was oddly unsettling that she didn't run into anything, other than a pickpocket. One would think that with the downfall of Superwoman, the criminals would be coming out of the woodwork to cause shit.

Perhaps, Kara tempted fate, or maybe that Murphy guy Barbara talked about, a bit too much.

* * *

"Be careful with that, you mooks. If any of you break that, I'll end up breaking your skull."

A group of goons hauled a large crate out of what appeared on the outside to be a milk truck. Given the nature of these gentlemen hauling the crate out, they were the last people that you would want delivering you milk.

A dark haired middle aged man with a grizzled face dressed in a three piece brown suit stared. He wouldn't be winning any prizes in a beauty pageant that was for sure. His name was Bruno Mannheim. He was nicknamed "Ugly" because he wasn't winning any first prizes in a beauty pageant.

Ugly Mannheim watched the goons from his particular faction of Intergang. Now that the big boss was in prison, Luthor was dead, and Superwoman was out of commission, now was the perfect time to strike.

"What the hell is in the box?" one of the goons grumbled. He could feel the sheer weight of it about to give way. His muscles strained when he tried to hold it up.

"Careful with it, careful," Mannheim grumbled. His tone was such that he was not going to piss around. If they dropped that box, they would be fucked in all of the wrong ways.

The goons struggled to carry the box, despite the fact that it was extremely heavy and they panted underneath the weight of it.

"Put it down, right there," Mannheim ordered them. "Gently, gently, right there."

The goons put down the crate. Mannheim walked over with a crowbar and pried the crate open.

There were several high tech weapons in the crate that looked like something out of Star Wars.

"And that's just the tip of the iceberg," Mannheim informed his men. "We've got even more coming in. If Superwoman got killed in that explosion, that means her little sister or whatever the fuck she is, she's going to be causing some shit. And all of her caped friends, all of them are going to meet the business end of this."

"Where did you get this, Mr. Mannheim?" one of the goons asked with wide eyes.

"My dear sweet Granny got them for me," Mannheim said smoothly.

The goons grumbled, thinking that they weren't getting a straight answer from their boss. They watched another truck pull up with more goodies on board.

"Got something real special in there, it's going to tip the scales. Intergang has been running scared by these caped creeps for too long. About time we show them who rules Metropolis."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on May 27** **th** **, 2015.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Kingpin.**

* * *

The sirens blared outside of the First National Bank of Metropolis. It had one of the foremost security systems in the entire world. It was a fortress for lack of a better term. There was no one who could break into it. Superwoman had been invited to try, but even she couldn't break inside.

Not that she hadn't made a good attempt to break in, but she had been stopped by the security system. It was that fortified and the criminals who tried to break into it, often didn't stand too much of a chance. They were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. The score inside would be immense. Providing they could get their hands on it, which they couldn't.

At least they couldn't get their hands onto it now. The people who pulled off this daring heist had not gotten in through any of the conventional methods. Even if they could have, because of how fried the security system was. An EMP pulse rocked the entire building and brought down every single piece of electronics inside it.

The Metropolis Special Crimes Unit was on the scene of the crime straight away. Needless to say, this fit into their jurisdiction perfectly.

A grizzled man with grey hair and a uniform peered over the large gaping hole in the ground, with a critical eye. He was the type of man who looked like he had gotten into a few decent scraps in his dead. His scarred hands folded over the top of his chest. He peered down into the hole and could see the men who did this made a clean getaway.

A dark haired woman in her mid-thirties stepped towards the bank manager. He looked rather frazzled, putting his hands together. His nerves looked to be about shot.

"Relax," the woman answered.

"Relax?" the bank manager asked. That was the wrong word to say to him given the circumstances. His nerves were more than shot. "Relax? Those goons got away with fifty million dollars, and you expect me to relax!"

The bank manager was pacing up and down the floor. He was babbling underneath his breath.

"Yeah, you better quick that, before you wear a hole in the floor," the grizzled man commented. He stopped and realized, peering at the hole on the ground where they made their escape. "Yeha, too soon."

"How did they do it, how did they do it?" he asked. It was almost like he was trapped inside his own world of trying to piece together what happened.

The grizzled man turned away from his gazing at the hole. "Yeah, that's what I'd like to know. Something like this, it has all of the hallmarks of an inside job."

"Turpin," the woman warned him.

The bank manager looked absolutely flabbergasted. "You couldn't think that I could rob my own bank? Even I couldn't get past this security system."

"And how could you be so sure that you couldn't?" the man, Turpin, asked. He resembled an eager pitbull, who was going after a particularly juicy steak.

"Mr. Jacobs, don't mind, my partner, he can get overzealous at times, but he does raise an interesting point," the woman said firmly when she looked at the bank manager. "This does have all of the hallmarks of something done from the inside. The security system was not triggered and it only went off after the thieves had been safely out of the bank."

The bank manager slumped down on a chair. He didn't know how to handle this, he didn't even know if he could handle this. He breathed in and out.

"Detective Sawyer, I swear that my whereabouts can be accounted for at the time of the robbery, I was at home with my wife and children when this happened," the bank manager answered. He rubbed his forehead and frowned.

"I don't know Maggie, he could have hired someone," Turpin grumbled. He was more playing the bad cop, that was his job to get the hard answers. Terrible Turpin always put the squeeze on them and got results more often than not.

Maggie Sawyer shook her head. She might be considered insane, but she believed the story. The only thing the man had to fear.

"Who could be behind this?" Maggie asked.

Maggie looked over her shoulder. The other SCU members did an excellent job at keeping the crowd at bay. The frazzled bank manager looked like he feared facing his customers more than he did facing Turpin's interrogation.

"It's almost like someone blasted through the floor," Turpin said. "And they came in from the sewers beneath the vault. Fitting, because they seem to be nothing, but a bunch of damn dirty rats!"

He trailed off on this theory. Turpin hated not having the answers, and especially when people kept changing all of the questions. He almost felt sorry for the guard, that was, if he didn't do it.

"And speaking of someone who wants all of the answers," Turpin muttered.

Sure enough, the woman thought that she was being sneaky and stealthy. She managed to find her way into the bank. The dark haired reporter stepped into the bank and looked around.

"Miss Lane, if you're looking for a story, there isn't much of one here," Turpin said. He tried to keep his voice down.

"Not much of a story?" Lois asked. She could smell something like this a mile away and it excited her journalistic spirit. "A vault that shouldn't have gotten broken into did get broken into. The cash in the bank was swiped, and you mean to tell me that there isn't some kind of story to this? I don't only beg to differ, but I demand to differ."

"Don't stick your nose in a place where it doesn't belong," Turpin answered.

"The investigation is still ongoing and we're going to have an official press conference this afternoon," Maggie said. She decided to step in before Turpin stepped into it. "If you would like, we could answer all of your questions there. But for right now, we need to find the answers ourselves."

Maggie gripped Lois by the arm and led her to the side entrance of the bank and allowed her to go outside.

"I'll call you when we have a time and a place," Maggie said. "And there might be some really dangerous people involved in this, so you better watch your back."

Maggie suspected that telling Lois Lane to be careful might as be as productive as talking to a brick wall. Regardless of that fact, she had to say something.

Turpin frowned. His partner tended to be able to get Lane off of their back, more often than not. Although, he wondered how often those half ass non-answers that he gave her would work.

Lois was satisfied for now, but if she didn't get the answers soon, there would be hell to pay. This could be the story of the century.

She could see a shady figure watching her from the alleyway. Taking a couple of steps forward, Lois investigated the source of it.

He was gone, quickly as he arrived.

* * *

Kara was hanging out in the Daily Planet on her off day from school. It turned out that she picked a hell of a day to be at the Daily Planet because there was a lot of buzz around the office. That buzz was about the First National Bank of Metropolis. Needless to say, this news grabbed Kara's attention fairly quickly.

The girl frowned when she focused on all of what she learned. And the more she thought about it, it didn't make sense. The First National Bank of Metropolis was supposed to be bulletproof. It was supposed to be super powered person proof as well. The security system was collaborated with help from STAR Labs. Kara bit down on her lip and shook her head to clear it.

Yeah, it didn't really make any sense.

It shouldn't have gotten broken into. Claire tested the security system for them and she didn't even break into it. It was one of those things where Kara was extremely beffuddled.

She ducked into a side room of the Daily Planet. There was no one there. She made sure that the door was latched behind her. Kara pulled out a headset.

"Hey, Barbara, are you busy?" Kara asked her.

"No, I'm not, I'm on my break,' Barbara said. It was a rare break so she was enjoying a chance to stretch her legs. The urgency in Kara's voice caused her to take notice. "So, what do you need?"

"Did you hear about the First National Bank of Metropolis?" Kara asked. "How it was broken into?"

"Yes, but that's supposed to be…"

Kara interjected, cutting Barbara off at the pass. "Impossible, I know it's impossible. There have been countless people who have tried, but they aren't able to get past the locks on the front door."

"Didn't your cousin test the security?" Barbara asked.

"Yes, she did, and she got caught up in it, even with Batman walking her through it," Kara said. "And if Batman wasn't able to break through anything like that….."

"He always had a knack of achieving the impossible, but when he was stumped so you knew it was good," Barbara said. She was already on the hunt for some more information to help both of them. "I'm going to see what I can dig up right now, do you think you can hang tight for a few seconds?"

"Sure, take your time," Kara said. She lazily leaned against the wall.

She noticed Claire returned to work and Lois entered the office, looking like she was on the warpath. That was nothing new for Lois when she wanted a story. Kara thought that this would be the prime opportunity for her to eavesdrop on a conversation between these two.

Her super hearing was fine tuned.

"I told you shouldn't have gone there," Claire told Lois.

"You've been telling people that they shouldn't be doing a lot of things lately," Lois said. "Just because you're doing your best impression of a Livejournal blog, doesn't mean everyone else has to suffer"

Kara shook her head. That was Lois for you, she always told you what was on her mind, no matter what the consequences were.

"Anyway, I did some digging, and I found something interesting," Lois continued.

Claire frowned in response. Despite her disapproval to what Lois was doing, she was never the less curious. "Were you able to find out?"

"This has all of the markings of an Intergang plot," Lois said.

Claire was caught off guard by this one. "But, Edge was sent to prison?"

"Yes, I'm well aware that Morgan Edge is in that country club that can be called a prison," Lois answered, shaking her head in response. "But, there were other high ranking people in Intergang. Remember how much trouble they caused Superwoman when they hijacked those Kryptonite based weapons from LuthorCorp?"

"Yes, yes, yes I do," Claire agreed. "But, I'm sure that the SCU is perfectly capable of handling this."

Lois snorted at how naïve Claire was. It was the first time that she did so this week. "Yeah, they're well in over their heads with this. The Mayor is being a real peach as well right now, so I'm sure that he's going to cause all sorts of problems for anyone who is trying to solve this mess."

"Well, guess the SCU are just going to have to deal with that," Claire said. She seemed a bit distracted to be honest.

"This might look like a job for Supergirl," Lois said delicately.

Kara tensed up. It was almost like Lois knew that she was listening at the door. Then again, Lois was the master of being a bit too snoopy for her own good, so it was unlikely that Kara was going to beat her at her own game.

"Don't encourage her, Lois," Claire said with a frown. She looked around and saw that Kara was not there. That was a bit of a relief to her, because things were tense enough between them.

Funnily enough, if Claire still had access to her X-Ray vision, she would have seen Kara standing about six feet away from them, even though she was hidden behind a store room door.

"I know that you don't want Kara out there, after what happened," Lois replied in a low voice. She looked Claire in the eye in a fairly challenging way. "But, I think that you're being stupid and blaming her for what happened to you."

"I'm not having this conversation at work, Lois," Claire said, backing off.

"Fine, Smallville, fair enough," Lois said. She stepped forward and nearly backed Claire into the desk. "We'll have this conversation at home, where I don't have to bother having to keep my voice down and where I don't have to watch what I say."

Claire didn't mean that and she was about to say something, but as it turned out, Lois wasn't done speaking yet. "If you need me, I'll be poking around, to see if there's more smoke to this fire."

Kara slumped down into the chair. She could hear Claire grumbling about something or other. There was no use to dwell on what she was mumbling about now, because Barbara's voice popped up on the other end of the headset. "I've got something for you."

"Intergang is behind this, at least that's what Lois thinks," Kara said.

"Lois is too smart for her own good first of all," Barbara remarked. "And second of all, she was right, this has all of the hallmarks of a classic Intergang scheme."

Kara wanted to know how Intergang got into the vault. They were rather adept in getting their hands on weapons. Often times, it was weapons that they stole from other people. The military creating Kryptonite weapons on the off chance that Superwoman went rogue for example ended up being a stupid idea. Then again, Luthor funded that little project. That was the first sign of many that Lex went down that rabbit hole. It seemed particularly logical to many, after a certain General escaped from the Phantom Zone and paid a visit to Earth, co-opting Lex's body in the process.

The fact those weapons disappeared after that mission thanks to some intervention and the military lost countless years of research was the furthest thing from a coincidence that was imaginable. But that should be obvious.

"This looks like a job for Supergirl," Kara commented.

"Cheesy, but I'll allow it," Barbara answered.

Kara found herself in her costume seconds later. Her golden blonde hair shined in the sunlight, her blue eyes sparked with passion and drive. She wore a tight blue shirt with a golden shield with the letter "S" superimposed on her ample breasts. The shirt was only half length and it showed her toned midsection. Her dazzling blue skirt showed off a beautiful, toned pair of legs that any person would enjoy having wrapped around them. A pair of stylish red boots topped off the ensemble.

She was ready to fly.

* * *

Supergirl arrived at the scene of the crime. She looked around carefully. So far, there was no trouble, but she knew better. That could change at a drop of the hat. She circled the outside of the bank a couple of times and made her way towards the back entrance of it.

She was inside the back entrance of the bank. There were a few SCU officers that walked around. Kara discreetly slipped past them without any problem.

There was something oddly unsettling about what happened. Kara muttered to herself. "Guess, I should take a look at the hole in the bank vault first."

"You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of madness," Barbara answered.

"Well, I'm also talking to you," Kara said. "And I have a feeling that some might consider that a sign of a madness as well."

Barbara gave a mock huff of indignation as Kara straightened up swiftly. She stepped inside the bank vault. Kara held a scanner in her hand. She invented a few gadgets that would make any bat proud.

The heroine scanned the side of the hole to see if she could pick up any kind of residue that could be a problem. So far, there was nothing out of the ordinary, but Kara kept pressing on.

"The material is so thick, that it would need an immense force to break it," Kara commented to herself. "Even a diamond tipped blade wouldn't break through the surface and they'd likely trip some kind of alarm before they came close to getting inside."

So many questions, so little answers, and Kara walked over towards the boxes. Some of them were still opened and there were a few cracked jewels that were on the ground. The person stole a huge amount of jewels, gold, and cash from the vault. The only reason why he or she, or they rather, didn't clean out completely.

Kara hovered down into the sewer system. She wrinkled her nose when she stepped down onto the ground. There were a few tracks into the sewer.

She walked down, following the tracks, leading her to the end of a tunnel. A large tank rested at the edge of the tunnel. Kara placed her hand on the top of it. It still felt extremely warm. They weren't far, at least that's what she assumed.

Was it possible that their hideout was close enough by?

A mysterious grinding sound brought Kara out of her thoughts. She leaned forward, frowning. She heard the ticking and the grinding and approached it carefully.

"We have a problem," Kara said to Barbara over the headset. "It's a bomb."

"Call the bomb squad?" Barbara asked her.

Kara considered that would be the most logical explanation, but there was just one simple problem. The tech on this bomb was far beyond what the bond squad was capable of utilizing.

"Barbara….they wouldn't be able to deal with this, but the timer has about three minutes left on it," Kara said.

"Typical criminals, everything has to have a timer," Barbara said. There was a tone of bemusement in her voice. "They always want to be melodramatic."

"Yes, melodramatic or not, this is not like anything that's on Earth, this is an alien bomb," Kara answered. "And, it will wipe out this entire block unless I deactivate it."

Kara undid the edge of the bomb and frowned. She could see a series of wires.

"Might I suggest pulling the red wire?" Barbara asked. "I mean, it's always the red wire."

Kara used her X-Ray vision to scan the bomb. When that was done, she destroyed the blue wire, followed by the yellow one, the black one, and then the green wire. The bomb hummed angrily and Kara reached down, prying back a panel of the bomb.

"There was no red wire," Kara said. This shocked Barbara to speechlessness. She reached inside and pulled out a glowing crystal that heated up in her hand. It was the core of the bomb and Kara used her ice breath to slowly cool it down, she took the core of the bomb high into the sky.

She made sure she was safely out of the city. The ice case she had around the crystal would not hold forever and in fact, it would explode in a matter of seconds.

Winding up her arm, Kara lobbed the crystal like a super powered fastball into the sky. The crystal bounced high into the sky and lit up, exploding in a crack.

Kara flew backwards, and landed onto the ground. She was breathing in and out heavily when she disposed of that energy crystal.

The bomb could have leveled half of Metropolis if she had not found it then. And Kara was almost certain that whoever put that bomb there wanted her to find it just then. It could have been down there for several hours and only activated once someone of Kryptonian DNA approached it.

That was said that the bomb could have hurt her and most certainly could have killed anyone within the blast point.

"How do you build a bomb without a red wire?" Barbara asked suddenly.

"It's an alien bomb, it's not bound by Earth rules of engineering," Kara answered swiftly.

Barbara sighed and conceded that point. "Well makes perfect sense. How did you understand what to do?"

"My mother taught me to defuse a bomb before I was seven," Kara replied. She spoke as if this was the most logical thing in the world to teach a seven year old girl.

"Oh, of course, that makes perfect sense," Barbara said dryly.

Kara shook her head. Did she detect a note of sarcasm in Barbara's tone? She honestly couldn't tell half of the time. "It's much easier to do it with super powers, though."

"Isn't everything?" Barbara asked.

"The timer's language wasn't English, but I understood the language, I'm not sure from where, but it was familiar to me, so at least I know the basics," Kara said. "But, then again, I can speak eighteen alien languages fluently, understand bits and pieces of nine others, and about twenty Earth languages…..and English was the most finicky to learn. And technically, British English and American English really should be considered two separate languages."

"Yeah, us Americans kind of bastardized the English languish," Barbara said. They had gotten off topic. "So, what now, anyway?"

She scanned the area briefly to make sure that there were no more nasty surprises. There weren't and Kara was rather pleased.

"Are you still on your break?" Kara asked Barbara.

"Yeah, why?" Barbara asked.

"Meet me in ten minutes at the usual spot," Kara told her. "Get Donna to come if she's available."

Things were going to heat up in Metropolis and Kara might need some help. The kind of weapons Intergang had never put her in a good frame of mind to begin with. And now Intergang had alien technology, that raised some unsettling questions for her.

What she encountered might only be scratching the surface. Kara would have to dig deeper, but unfortunately, she couldn't do that on her own.

* * *

Bruno Mannheim just got off the phone with his contact within the Metropolis Special Crimes United. He had been keeping him well posted on how the investigation was going. "Well, it looks like that Supergirl found my little party favor."

"So, the bitch got blown to smithereens, right boss?" one of the goons asked.

"Wrong," Mannheim said. He was pissed beyond all belief. That particular territory was run by an offshoot branch of Intergang that was jockeying for position. Mannheim wanted to ruin their day, along with knocking off the Girl of Steel in one fell swoop.

He was on the warpath and he was pacing around. The gang members looked rather nervous. They knew better than to give their boss any lip when he was talking like this.

"And what's more, that nosy bitch Lane is asking way too many questions and she tends to screw things up," Mannheim said. He got into the face of his gang members. "I can't afford to have things get screwed up."

"So, what do we do now, boss?" one of the Intergang members asked.

Mannheim's lips curled into a wicked grin. "Lois Lane, she's been messing with shit for years. And her little savior is out of the picture."

Mannheim was looking rather calculating somehow. He felt like he was on top of the world. Sure, there was Supergirl, but the weapons that they had would take her out no problem.

"And now that her little savior is out of the picture, it's time for us to make our move," Mannheim said. "It's time to prove who the true Kingpin of Metropolis is."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on June 4th** **, 2015.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Hostage Crisis Part One.**

* * *

After the incident with defusing the bomb had passed, Kara found herself with a lot of questions. Intergang was back in business and that never was a good thing for the people in Metroplis. Their leadership might have changed, and they obviously got their hands on some high tech toys. There was some aspects regarding the weapons that Kara recognized, while there were other things about the weapons that were gloriously foreign to her. She mentally tried to piece everything together the best that she could, even though it was hard.

She sat in the living room of a luscious penthouse in the middle of Metropolis. While it wasn't the usual apartment that the three of them shared, it was a place that was better equipped for their meetings. It belonged to a friend of Barbara, who used it whenever she was in town. Due to the fact that her business in Gotham City mandated that she spent most of her time over there, she didn't use this penthouse often.

Kara held the reports in her hand that she copied. Due to her job at the Daily Planet, it allowed her to access information that could help her in her career as Supergirl.

It was funny, just earlier; she bemoaned the lack of excitement ever since Claire lost her powers. Now, she was pretty much trapped in the middle of more excitement than she could handle.

It just went to show you, that you should be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.

A knock on the door signaled the arrival of Barbara. Kara opened the door and she walked in. It was obvious she did her own research. Donna walked in right behind her a few seconds later.

"Come in, sit down," Kara said.

Donna didn't need telling twice. These meetings were a lot better in a penthouse living room then they were on top of the roof. Donna sat on the couch first and Kara took a spot next to her. Barbara took a seat on the armchair and pulled out her laptop.

Kara's full and undivided attention focused on Barbara. "So, what did you find out?"

"Not much," Barbara admitted. "When Edge got sent up the river, we all thought that Intergang lost one of their primary backers. But, there are many factions of that gang in Metropolis and elsewhere, and not all of them are completely loyal to Edge."

Kara recalled that bastard being put into prison, even though Lois pretty much ranted about him being stuck in a glorified country club. That was pretty much true, the rich and famous got to get sent up the river in style and what style it was in fact. The young blonde pulled a face when she placed her hand up to said face.

"We know that it's not Morgan Edge, unless he's pulling the strings somehow from prison," Kara answered.

Barbara shook her head. "We shouldn't really rule out that possibility. He has to know what's going on. He has to know that his men are going into other territories and stirring up shit."

"And that's bad," Donna said.

"Yes, Donna, that is bad," Kara agreed.

Barbara nodded up and down, looking like a glorified windup toy. "It is bad when one of those territories is in the midst of Gotham City."

Kara let out the long breath she had been holding.

"What about the weapons that they have been using, though?" Donna asked.

Barbara frowned. "That's a problem. Intergang are well known for procuring their weapons from elsewhere. They are public enemy number one in the Penguin's eyes, after they took that shipment of his a while back. And we don't need to forget what Intergang did with those Kryptonite weapons."

Kara sighed. She didn't forget, she never forgot. It was a good thing that they had those destroyed. Intergang had come close to destroying Superwoman even before Lex, but on the bright side that was the mission that developed the shields against Green Kryptonite.

The shield against the other forms of Kryptonite was extremely finicky and Kara didn't come close to developing that one just yet. For obvious reasons, shielding against Gold K became an extremely high priority now.

"They're using these weapons which they did not make, and for what purpose?" Donna asked.

"The purpose is that this particular block belonged to a rogue faction of Intergang members, a faction of the gang that split off and did their own thing," Barbara said. "You know, after Edge got sent up the river."

"So, a civil war within Intergang," Kara said. She found herself liking this one less and less. "Why do I have a feeling that is only going to cause a lot of innocent people to get caught in the crossfire?"

"Because, there are," Barbara said. The various gang wars over in Gotham City taught her that much. The bastards had a high immunity rate when they were shooting at each other. The people who killed each other was another matter entirely.

That was one of the reasons why she was so glad to get out of that city and head over to Metropolis. One of the last things she expected was the gang violence to follow her over to this particular city.

"War never ends well," Donna said. Kara frowned and the young Amazon Princess caught sight of her gaze. "What's wrong?"

"Who built the equipment?" Kara asked.

"Don't you have an idea?" Donna fired back.

"I have an idea," Kara admitted to her. She turned to Barbara. "Did you find anything?"

"There are several technology companies in Metropolis and in the neighboring counties that might be able to build this technology," Barbara said. "But based off of the description you gave me, nothing seems to match."

Kara was afraid of that.

"And I did dig pretty deep," Barbara admitted. She frowned and could see the troubling look Kara gave her. Barbara couldn't blame her. She was sure that the same troubling look was going through her eyes. "And I did dig extremely deep, so deep that you're going to need….."

"Yeah, I get it," Kara fired back, interrupting Barbara. "You dug really deep."

"The technology looks like it might be out of this world," Donna suggested. That caused Kara's eyes to go back and the young woman to sigh.

"Oh, Donna, why did you have to bring up that point?" Kara asked. She was afraid that Donna might be right.

That was another thing that she was afraid of. She didn't know what someone like Intergang would do with high tech alien technology, but it wouldn't be good. They were going to have to take them down, before they really figured out how it worked.

* * *

Donna frowned when she saw the lights flashing outside of the building that they arrived in front of. There were blinking lights that greeted them when the trio stood outside of an extremely seedy nightclub.

"And we're at a place where I feel like I need a shower just looking at," Kara said.

She was dressed in a little black dress, with her hair done up. She wore way too much makeup. Kara didn't think that makeup honestly helped anyone. For her personally, it detracted from her looks. She looked at Donna, who wore a tight white dress, with the material riding up. Barbara wore a shimmering red dress that clung to her curves fairly nicely. All three girls wore heels, stockings, and looked dressed to kill.

"I know this place as a pretty liberal dress code," Barbara commented. That caused Kara to snort in response. "I know I deserved that one. But there is someone here who might be able to shed light on Intergang."

Donna realized that Diana would have a heart attack if she saw where she was walking. Barbara seemed nonplussed.

Then again, Barbara's father would have a stroke if he saw her walking into this place. Donna turned to Barbara. "Aren't you nervous about going in here?"

Barbara shrugged in response. "No, I'm not really nervous. I've been in places like this a lot of times."

Kara's eyebrows went up when she looked towards Barbara. This caused Barbara to clarify something for her. "On cases, undercover…..which is what this is."

"Right," Kara said. She sighed when she could see a couple of sleazy men who were dressed like pimps enter the club. That was likely because they were pimps. "Let's get this over with."

"That's what she said," Donna said. That caused Kara's eyes to flash towards her.

"Yes, that's what I did say," Kara said. Donna opened her mouth and that caused Barbara to snicker.

She grew serious in a moment, doing a stoic expression that only someone who was a disciple of the Bat could pull off. The three girls showed their identification to the people at the door. They were fake. Thankfully, Barbara was able to pull this off.

The loud music, if it could be called that, pounded into their ears. The group stepped inside the club. There were two biker types that got into a tussle in the corner. One of them crashed into the wall when he was put down.

"Oh, this is one of the most magical places on Earth, isn't it?" Kara stated, sarcasm barely going through her voice.

"The guy should be pretty scruffy, he has a couple of scars on his face, a bit on the chunky side," Barbara reminded her.

Kara shook her head. Half of the club looked like of scruffy. The other half looked pretty grimy, so that didn't necessarily narrow things down all that much. Her eyes narrowed when she scanned the club, searching carefully for the man in question.

The guy in question, as Barbara told her, was a known snitch.

"How has this guy never gotten taken out?" Kara asked. "I mean, if everyone knows that he's a snitch….."

"They know that he's a snitch, but he always seems to have information about the other side," Barbara informed her. "Therefore he's able to avoid getting whacked every single time by giving the person doing the whacking good information on the other guys. He's really good, in a bad way, but he's pretty good."

Barbara wrinkled her nose in the air. Donna caught sight of it. "Not a fan of this place, are you?"

"This might be one of the worst dives in Metropolis," Barbara said. Kara and Donna blinked. "Which would make it slightly okay in Gotham City."

The thing about Gotham City was that a lot of the bars and clubs came in two varieties. The first variety was extremely sleazy and the second variety of bar was the epitome classy. Even though the classiest of places tended to still be run by some pretty sleazy people because it was Gotham City.

"I believe that we can find our man back there somewhere," Barbara said.

Kara and Donna gazed at each other for an instant. The sooner they were able to get out of here and find their man the better.

"Hey, baby, you must be new around town."

Kara groaned. She could see some sleazy bastard, around ten beers over the legal limit, staggering towards her. He looked rather drunk, and by rather drunk, she meant extremely drunk. His eyes drifted to Kara's cleavage.

"Well, you should know that I'm the biggest, baddest man in this club, and all of the bitches need to learn their place," the man said. He reached forward and grabbed her, but Kara pulled away. "Hey, there's no need to be such a frigid bitch, so why don't you…"

Donna punted the man into the table in response. He flew back and his head smacked into the table hard.

"His breath was disgusting," Donna said. Kara closed her eyes and Barbara grumbled.

"Well, I suppose that being conspicuous was more than we could have hoped for," Barbara responded with a heaving sigh.

Several eyes on the club found their way towards them. Another man rose to his feet and he looked at the three girls. "Hey, if you think that you bitches should start trouble…"

Kara grabbed the man by the scruff of the shirt and picked him up. She hung him from one of the coatracks on the wall. She turned around and her eyes scanned all of the members of the club. "So, do any of you other bastards want to cause shit for me or my girlfriends?"

The men in the club shook their heads in response. Kara smiled. "Good, now we're looking for Sammy Henston."

"Why would you want to talk to that weedy little bastard?" one of the supposed toughs asked.

"We just need to ask him a few questions about Intergang," Kara replied. That caused the members in the bar to growl pale.

"We don't talk about them here, the bastards think they own this town," a Hispanic man said. He clutched his hand around the beer bottle. His brother belonged to a gang that pretty much ran the drug trade. At least until Intergang fucked him over with their Star Wars shit.

"And if you're looking for Henston, he just ran out the backdoor."

* * *

Claire sat on her desk. She frowned when she saw the news report coming in, regarding Supergirl saving half of Metropolis from being blown up this morning. While Claire was glad with what her cousin accomplished in a sense, she wasn't too happy in another way.

There was a small part of her that wasn't too happy. It didn't help her nerves that Lois still decided to put herself in the line of fire by going after the big stories.

"Yes, Jenkins, I realize what I'm doing is dangerous, but this entire Intergang scandal has to be put out in the public eye," Lois said. "They always were dangerous, dangerous people, and….that hasn't stopped me before. Are you trying to tell me that they have alien technology? What do you mean you don't know? Either they do or they don't….well it's either that or something high tech….well that would explain how they broke a security system that even Superwoman couldn't break. I'll be careful, I promise."

Lois hung up the phone and Claire gave her a side long look.

"Lois, we both know that you won't be careful, despite the fact that you should," Claire said tensely to her girlfriend.

"My contact told me that he is feeling the heat, and Mannheim is on the war path, he's taking out everyone that isn't loyal to him and Intergang," Lois said.

"Didn't he work underneath Morgan Edge?" Claire asked.

"Yes, and now Edge is on vacation, it seems like Ugly is getting a bit too big for his oversized britches," Lois said. She peered out of the window. "I wonder what the military is making that they don't want us to know about….of course it might not be our military."

Claire wondered about this. She thought about going to the Fortress and asking Lara a few questions. The problem was she didn't want to face her mother after what happened. And Claire hadn't returned the phone calls from Martha Kent, which might put her in some hot water there.

"Not our military?" Claire asked. "Do you mean that it's….."

"Yes, it's some kind of alien technology," Lois said. She shook her head, hating that she had to spell it out for her. "You know, it could be Kryptonian."

"Why do you think that it's Kryptonian?" Claire asked.

"Because, you guys have a really bad habit of leaving your crap lying around where any idiot with ambition can find it," Lois reminded her.

Claire hated to be reminded about this. She sat down in her chair.

"We do, don't we?" Claire asked.

"I'm sure Chloe has a list of all of the times Kryptonian technology has screwed you over," Lois said. "I'm going to see what I can find out, do some digging around."

"Just don't go biting off more than you can chew, Lois, "Claire said.

Lois's eyes snapped towards Claire and there was a look of warning within them.

"I never bite off more than I can chew," Lois told her. "I have everything under control."

"I'm not able to save you anymore."

That caused Lois's eyes to narrow right at Claire and that was the wrong thing to say. The violet eyes of Lois Lane flashed when she fixated on Claire's blue eyes.

"I might be perfectly capable of getting myself into trouble, but I'm also perfectly capable of getting myself out of trouble too," Lois reminded her.

"Then all of those times where I had to jump in and save you were….."

"Foreplay," Lois concluded for her. She shook her head.

How could someone be this dense? Well she supposed that she could cut Claire some slack, she lost her powers, and with losing her powers, she lost a part of her identity. That didn't mean that she had to be such a whiny little emo about it.

"I'm a big girl, Claire, I can handle myself."

Claire dreaded her saying that statement. She conceded that Lois could handle herself more than enough and that was a problem. She had such a big opinion about her ability to handle herself that it got her in trouble fairly constantly and put them back at square one.

"I know you can Lois….but…"

A loud explosion from the floor beneath them caused Claire to be rattled. Lois staggered back as well. She managed to drop down onto the chair, breathing heavily.

"What the hell is going on here?" one of the other reporters on their floor cursed.

They were about to find out the answer to this questions. Instinctively, Claire tried to focus on her X-Ray vision.

It hit her suddenly, that she couldn't. She felt like she had been punched in the gut at full force. Therefore she was in the dark just as much as anyone else.

The door burst open and a group of armored goons entered the office. They had weapons that looked to be pretty high tech.

Claire didn't need thirty one different flavors of vision to see that they were most certainly alien. A large bulky leader of the gang waved one of the guns around.

"Alright, none of you move, and you won't be a part of your own paper," one of the goons said. He pointed what appeared to be a souped up laser scope rifle at them.

"Yeah, in the obituaries!" the second goon piped up, bouncing up and down. The other goon gave him a sidelong look and the goon checked himself before he messed himself.

They shoved some of the reporters off to the side and they got who they wanted.

"Ah, Lois Lane, pleased to meet you again," one of the gang members said. His tone was falsely polite.

"Do, I know you?" Lois asked.

"One of your little stories caused me to be thrown in jail," the gang member said. He and his buddy grabbed Lois around the arms and dragged her. She tried to fight them.

Claire instinctively rushed over to help. She tried to punch one of the gang members in the face. Her punch was casually caught.

She closed her eyes, feeling someone much stronger than her. This normal run of the mill goon was much stronger than her. She was hurled back onto the desk and a gun pointed on her head.

"What we've got here is some bitch with a hero complex," the goon said. He pointed the gun at the back of her head. "She thought that she could jump in and save her little girlfriend here, but…..she didn't."

"Yeah, she must think that she's Superwoman, or something," one of the gang members joked. The other laughed in response at the audacity of someone so pathetic being Superwoman.

Lois, despite having three goons holding her, and several more weapons on her, stared back in the most defiant manner possible. "What do you want?"

"It doesn't matter what we want, it's what we're going to take," one of the goons said. "You've been playing with fire a lot Miss Lane. Trying to fuck with the wrong people. The boss isn't too happy about it, and when the boss is not happy, we end up not being happy. Because he takes it out on us."

They had weapons beyond their wildest nightmares. One of the gang members demonstrated how dangerous the weapon was. The goon reduced the desk to nothing but a dripping pile of molten metal.

"So, does anyone else want to be a hero?"

"We're going to be on the air in a few minutes," another goon informed everyone. His eyes flashed towards Lois's. "And you, sweetheart, are going to tell them just how bad Intergang is, before we're going to show them what happens to nosy snoopy bitches like you."

* * *

Sammy the Snitch rushed out of the club as fast as his stubby legs could carry him. These crazy dames were after him and he was less afraid of the mob enforcers that he was them.

He realized that one of those crazy dames was Supergirl. This fact dawned upon him slowly when she flew directly in front of him.

"You and I need to talk."

Her tone was calm and left no room for any kind of argument. That was never a good combination. The goon felt himself grabbed by the throat and hauled halfway up the building. He could feel the air leave his lungs when he dangled in the grip of the super powered heroine. She held him up to face her.

"Fine, let's talk, let's talk about this," the snitch said. "I don't have anything to say."

He turned around and saw that he was face to face with Batgirl. She observed him. Her tight black suit adhered to her body. Her red hair poked out of the cowl and she wore a look of utter agitation on her face.

"Shit, look, I moved out of Gotham City for a reason," the snitch said. He felt himself dangled upside down by Batgirl from the top of the building. "And that was the reason…that was the reason….argh!"

He swung back and forth like some grotesque looking pendulum. The wind didn't get knocked, yet.

"Ease up on him, we want him awake," Supergirl told Batgirl.

"I've been doing this for years, I know what I'm doing," Batgirl bantered back at her.

"Will the two of you quit bickering like an old married couple?"

Wondergirl signed when her two girlfriends had a heated argument about the proper protocol to interrogate a criminal. She wished that she had Diana's lasso because this would make things that much easier. Unfortunately, she had been banned from using that particular lasso after the last time.

It was not like the time where the three of them stole Diana's invisible jet. That was quite the adventure. They ended up in Vegas and what happened in Vegas, stayed in Vegas.

"If you can just interrogate him right now, the blood is rushing to his head," Wondergirl reminded them.

She was a vision of beauty, dressed in a skintight black one piece with a plunging neckline. The outfit showed off her curves in all of her wonders, pun completely intended. One could see a rather eye catching view of her ass in this particular outfit.

"Fine, I'll talk, I'll talk," Sammy said. "But it will cost you."

"How does not losing your life sound?" Supergirl asked. Her eyes glowed menacingly.

"That…that will work, that will work," Sammy said. "Edge's former number two…..Bruno Mannheim, he's been taking control of the main branch of Intergang. Word has it that he's been meeting with some shady figures, getting the weapons. When anyone asked him where he got it, he says that his dear Granny gave it to him.

"Yes, he would not tell anyone where he has these weapons," Kara replied.

"It's some real Star Wars level shit," Sammy said.

"They're not of Earth," Kara said.

"If they're from Earth, I'm a Rabbi," Sammy retorted. He closed his eyes, breathing in and out heavily.

Kara was really afraid of this She could see something on one of the television screens that caught her attention.

"Keep him strung up, the MCU can sort him out later," Supergirl informed Batgirl.

She ignored the protests of that she couldn't just leave him here. Instead she made her way down so she could see the television screen. She saw the office of the Daily Planet. Lois was in the thick of things and looked pretty pissed off. This might be one of the few times where Lois was in trouble and it couldn't be blamed completely on her.

Claire was there as well. Kara's blood ran completely cold. There was a scrolling down at the bottom of the screen that depicted a hostage crisis at the Daily Planet.

"We're the ones that run this city, and you people better learn that really quick," one of the members of the Intergang said. "Tell, then, sweetheart, how bad we are?"

"They have weapons….weapons that could level the entire city," Lois said. There was a small amount of fear in her voice. "And they could severely hurt anyone that gets in their way."

"We're bad, we're really bad, we're so bad that we're that good," the leader of Intergang said. "No one is going to fuck with Intergang. Not the press, not the police, and most certainly no capes."

Kara's fists clenched tightly. Her two friends stood by her side and they both knew that Intergang had pretty much dared Supergirl to get involved.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on June 11** **th** **, 2015.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Hostage Crisis Part Two.**

* * *

Lois Lane thought that if she wasn't having bad luck, she would be having absolutely no luck at all. The woman shook her head when she broke away from her pursuers. She managed to kick one of them in the groin and knock the other out. Despite her reputation of being a damsel in distress, Lois could take care of herself. You didn't be in this business for as long as you did without some level of self-preservation skills.

Of course, as Claire constantly pointed out for her, the ability to keep herself out of trouble was a bit of a problem. Lois made her way around the corner. She figured that the elevator was out of commission, unless the gangsters were completely stupid. The stores were a risk.

Lois picked up a broom that was on the ground. It wasn't the best weapon to defend yourself against high tech weapons, but it was the best weapon she had. She wondered if she should carry a gun on her after all of the trouble that she has gotten into over the years.

' _It's a wonder why I haven't made that decision ages ago,'_ Lois thought. _'Oh well, chalk that up to being stubborn and being a bit too reliant on a super powered bodyguard.'_

The funny thing was that she was sitting on the story of the century. The bad thing was that she was in the middle of the story of the century and her life was in peril. The woman raced down the stairs as quick as she could go. There was a loud thump, thump, thump sound when she made her way down the steps.

Lois's heart felt like it was going to race right through her throat when she continued to scramble down the stairs. She shook her head.

"Make sure no one gets through this door, you see any capes, and you shoot them between the eyes."

Lois cringed when she heard one of the voices of the gangsters down on the stairwell. The reporter kept herself pressed against the wall and there were more voices that was coming from the wall.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it, there's no need to nag me."

"I'm not nagging you, just telling you that the boss wants to make sure that no one gets in this building," the gangster said. He looked over his shoulder to see whether or not the coast was clear. "More importantly, no one gets out."

Lois made her way into the dark alcove. If they looked up that set of stairs with a flashlight, they might have seen her crouched down. That was just a risk that she had to take. The reporter's heart raced when she kept herself pinned up against the side of the stairs. Her breathing increased and became really labored.

She might die; actually there was a pretty good chance that she could die. But she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

The crackle of the radio one of the thugs held in his hand caused Lois to wait and brace herself for the moment of truth.

"Yeah, what is it, don't you have that snoopy bitch up there with you?" one of the thugs asked. There was a lengthy pause and he could hear the report coming in from the thug on the radio. "What?"

Lois, not having been graced with super hearing, closed her eyes. She could hear what the gang members said.

"She escape, the Lane bitch escaped, I can't believe this."

"She couldn't have gotten far," one of the other men on the ground said.

Had they just looked up into the alcove, they would have seen her. Thankfully, luck was on Lois's side for once in her life.

The gangsters that were trailing her were on the other side of the steps and went past her. With each passing footstep, Lois held her breath. Her heart raced intensely. She closed her eyes. This was nerve racking to say the very least.

She calmed herself down. Dare she breathe a sigh of relief?

Lois didn't want to tempt fate by breathing a sigh of relief. What she did do was scramble her way down the steps as much as she would dare to.

Another group of heavily armed men were around the corner just as she made her way to the nearest exit to summon for help. Lois recalled the fact that if she didn't have bad luck, she had no luck at all. That seemed to be a mantra that would be hammered into her head.

She realized those weapons could take down a super powered Kryptonian. Against Lois, who was very human and squishy, well, that wouldn't be much of a fight.

Lois Lane was pretty much fucked. The second they saw here, they would be dead. Lois hoped that there would be a chance for her to get out of here, while the getting was good, but she seriously doubted her chances.

Suddenly, a blur shot out through the doors, scooped her up, and dragged her out of the building.

The next thing Lois knew, she was in the middle of the Kent Family kitchen. The door closed and her mysterious savior was gone.

Martha Kent sat at the kitchen table, seeming rather nondisturbed by the entire situation. "Hello, Lois."

Then again, this hadn't been the first time something like this happened. Lois was so relieved to be out of that hostage crisis. "Hello, Mrs. Kent."

"Coffee?" Martha asked.

"Yes, I need some, thanks," Lois replied.

* * *

Kara was at ease slightly with one of the hostages having been saved. The problem is that there were a few other hostages and they needed to keep them out, her cousin being among them. She decided to work this problem from the top.

She held herself on the headset and Barbara was constantly feeding communication at her through the headsets. "So, are you in position, Donna?"

"Yes, I'm coming in through the basement entrance just like you said," Donna said. She thought that this was an interesting problem and it threw them into the pressure cooker.

"Yes, I'm glad that you're using that entrance point, because there's likely something down there, and I need to know what," Kara said. She spoke in a half distracted manner. She shook her head. "Barbara, how are you about cutting the lights to the building?"

"Already working on it, and I've managed to lock onto their frequency as well," Barbara said. She was working from a café across the street. Despite her skill, the weapons Intergang was using was a bit out of her weight class.

That didn't mean that Barbara couldn't help her friends out in other ways and she would. Kara could see the lights come off.

Kara could feel herself on edge and for good reason. A rocket launch blast flew over her head and nearly connected at her.

There was someone perched on the roof, taking a pot shot at her. Kara figured that they were hiding behind the Globe. It was time for her to pick her spots and pick them wisely. Kara got a quick inventory of her surroundings.

' _Okay, it shouldn't be too difficult,'_ she thought.

She used her heat vision to disable the rocket launcher. She picked up the goon over her head and brought him up high. She lowered him down to the ground, ripping the armor off of him.

The force of the armor being ripped from the man's body rendered him completely and utterly unconscious when he struck into the ground. Kara stood on top of him, but she knew that she had some other problems.

Another rocket launcher blasted towards her. Kara dodged the attack and the van off to the side of her blew open.

Several grenades flew towards her. Kara had to evade those as well. They emitted some kind of charge that packed a punch.

Batgirl was in the house and she nailed one of the goons in the back of the leg with a retractable baton. That caused the man to groan and Kara to fly in with a running punch to the face. The goon's armor was ripped off as well. Without the armor, these Intergang goons were about as squishy as anyone else.

"We're never going to get inside if they keep attacking us on the outside," Kara said.

"We just need a distraction," Barbara said. She held a ball and flicked it into the air.

The loud bang echoed out from the miniature ball. It gave a whirling sound that attracted all of the thugs into one spot.

That knocked out the backup lights on this floor and entombed all the thugs into absolutely darkness. Needless to say, this was not an ideal situation for any of the goons to be in. In fact, many of them were freaking out.

"Get a light on, get a light on!"

Kara grabbed the lead thug around the mouth and knocked him into the wall. They had to take out these goons out fast before they started to fire weapons.

Barbara utilized the night vision in her cowl to great effect. She quickly dangled one of the thugs up by his ankles. The thug struggled to hold himself up and keep himself from dropping down onto his head.

Another goon was taken out with a huge smash. It was obvious by the miniature explosion that briefly illuminated the area, two of the thugs managed to take each other out. It would be almost comical if it wasn't so very sad.

Kara used a rolling cart to send two of the thugs flying down the steps. One of them had a flashlight which flew up into the air. Kara caught the flashlight and crushed it underneath her hand in an attempt to not bring as much light into the situation.

The footsteps of the goons concluded. Kara thought that she took them out one by one. She listened for any heavy breathing and hard heart beats that indicated a fairly panicked thug.

There were no panicked heart beats coming from any of the thugs. Kara knew that there was more up above her.

"Thanks, but you really shouldn't be in the line of fire if they start pulling out the big weapons," Kara said.

"I'm fine, but your concern is appreciated," Barbara said. "So where are you going?"

"Up to get my cousin out of trouble," Kara replied. She knew that she was fighting a bit of an uphill battle with that one.

She couldn't help, but think that Intergang wouldn't have tried this stunt if her cousin still had her powers. But now that there was no Superwoman, they were acting like the big dogs in the yard.

It was time for Kara to prove that fancy weapons or not, they were nothing but a bunch of scared little bitches.

* * *

Claire Kent could see the office staff huddled around them. A particularly young intern whimpered in the corner.

"Hey, it's okay," Claire said. She wished that she could offer more than reassurance.

The fact that Intergang was able to do this and she was not able to do anything really got to her. It made her angry that she was so useless. And that's what she felt, so useless, so useless that she couldn't do anything. Her heart raced against her chest.

"This is my first day on the job and I'm going to die," the intern said fretfully. She was looking forward to working at the Daily Planet.

"No one here is going to die," Claire said firmly.

"Yeah, we're going to die, because Superwoman has gone into hiding because she's ashamed of killing Lex Luthor," one of the more hardened reporters said. "Willis might be a blowhard bitch but she hits the nail on the head every now and again."

"If Superwoman isn't around, it's likely because she isn't able to be here," another one of the reporters argued.

"They're not around the stairwell, we can get out through there," Claire answered. She closed her eyes. "When the lights went out, they all left this floor."

"Who do you think it is, Batman?" one of the reporters asked, almost mockingly.

Claire didn't want to let them know that Batman had perished about six months ago as well. It was a rather rough year for super heroes. Batman died, Aquaman fell valiantly in battle, Green Arrow was killed on a plane by Bane, and Claire lost her powers. She might have been alive, but in a way, this signaled the death of Superwoman. She would never be the same person she was before.

"This way," Claire said to them. "I'm getting you out of here."

The reporters really didn't have anything left to lose at this point, unless you counted their lives, which was a pretty big thing for them to lose when it all boiled down it to it. That being said, the reporters were lead down the stairwell carefully and almost casually.

A sole Intergang member was at the end of the hallway and he was acting like a bouncer. He held a large rifle in his hand that was equipped with a stun laser.

"Go!" Claire yelled. She made her way to the Intergang member that stood at the end of the hallway.

"You again?" the Intergang member asked. He seemed more bemused than anything else when Claire rushed him. "You really are looking to be a hero, aren't you?"

Claire didn't answer the question. She tried to back him up. She managed to knock the weapon out of his hand.

"Guess, I'm going to have to do this old school," the man said, when he kicked Claire in the ribs. That doubled her over in pain. "Which works fine for me."

He punched her in the face several times. She fell down onto her hands and knees. He followed up that attack and stomped on her arm violently.

Claire winced when she could feel her arm break. It was pain, glorious pain, pain like she had never felt in her life. It racked up to her body and the goon in question continued to batter her arm.

Her arm was folded up against her side. The Intergang goon pulled out a weapon and was about ready to blow her brains out.

Suddenly, a blur shot up the stairs and backed the member of Intergang off.

Supergirl was there and the normally perky blonde looked like a dragon about ready to burn her victim. She held the gang member hard against the winter, ripping the weapon from his hand. She also broke his arm in the process, a delicious bit of karmic irony.

She knocked him through a weapon, causing him to crash down onto the streets below. The man slammed hard against the ground.

The high tech armor broke most of his fall and the fall broke a lot of his bones. It didn't kill him, nor was that Kara's intention. She was tempted, but she held herself back. Besides, he got wrecked more than enough as far as she was concerned.

He might have to live with the fact that he would never walk again and going to the bathroom would be hell for him for quite some time.

Kara pulled herself up off of the ground, brushing the broken glass off of her cape. Her costume was severely damaged.

She saw a group of bodies, disarmed and de-armored, tied up and gift wrapped for the MCU.

Kara zoomed up the stairs, faster than a speeding bullet. Her heart was racing extremely quickly when she made her way up the stairs.

She could see Claire slumped against the ground. Her arm was twisted an awkward angle and blood was dripping down her mouth. Kara took a deep calming breath. It would be easy for her to freak out right now, but she didn't want to freak out.

She lifted Claire gently off of the ground. The heroine sped Claire off to the nearest hospital for medical attention.

Only when Claire was safely at the hospital, could Kara look around to make sure there wasn't no more casualties or injuries. A quick head count indicated that all of the office staff made it out of office.

Well, Lois might need to find her way back from Smallville, but she could handle that just as well. That was just the sort of thing that Lois did, she was adaptable.

All and all, things might not be ideal, but they could be very worse.

"So, that's all of them, isn't it?" Kara asked.

"All of them on my end anyway," Donna replied.

"Yeah, on my end as well," Barbara responded.

Kara was glad. That put her at ease a slight amount and she could worry about other things.

* * *

Claire thought that something ran her over. Her fogged memory remembered the hostage crisis. She could feel a slight ringing through her ears.

"An interesting change of pace, wouldn't you say?"

Claire's eyes snapped open and she realized that her head was wrapped up. It was really hard for her to put everything together with the hazy feeling.

"Why do I feel so light headed?" Claire asked. She realized that Lois was sitting there with a smile on her face.

"Well, that's called a concussion, Smallville," Lois said. "Or it could be the sedative that you were given, it might be a slight effect. Something that you're not used to, because you couldn't get drunk if you tried before. And believe me, I tried to get you drunk."

"Yes, thank you, Lois," Claire said. Her speech was a bit slurred. It was borderline difficult for her to focus. "So, is everything okay?"

"People are shaken up, there's property damage, but the insurance will cover it," Lois said. Claire held her head up. "And I wouldn't sit up if I were you."

"Yeah, I figured about that much," Claire said. She could feel a thumping escalate in the back of her head when she tried to move. Only it was like hell for her trying to move from the position that she was in.

"Intergang certainly sent a message," Lois said.

"It's not going to deter you for going after this story, is it?" Claire asked.

Lois raised her eyebrow. "Come on Smallville, you know me by now, what do you think?"

Claire realized that was a big pile of no. Lois was going to keep putting herself in danger, despite common sense telling her otherwise. Then again, common sense wasn't really too common these days. Claire found that out the hard way several times, she noted.

"And for the record, I was able to defend myself a lot better in there then you did," Lois said. "You know, maybe you should have gotten some self-defense training sooner and not relied on throwing yourself at everything with all the subtly of a flying brick. It was effective, but it obviously isn't able to be used all that much now."

Claire gave Lois one of those looks. It was obvious that she was taking it extremely hard that she lost her powers like she did.

"Intergang sent a message, though," Claire said.

Lois nodded in affirmation. "They sent quite the message, Smallville. Then again, so did Supergirl."

That caused Lois's lips to curl into a frown in response. That was the very thing that she was afraid of. Kara didn't listen to her suggestion that she should leave the protection of the city for others and focus on her studies.

"If it wasn't for Supergirl, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Claire closed her eyes. Leave it to Lois to say the most obvious things in the world, and be right about it. Did Claire mention that she hated it when Lois was right? Because she really hated it when Lois was right, and Lois was right way too often.

"So, I guess I missed the action?"

A young blonde in her mid-twenties stood in the doorway with a smile on her face. Her hair was cut a bit short, going only a slight amount past her shoulders. Much like her cousin, she had alluring violet eyes. These violet eyes were from a misadventure she had in her youth, and not naturally. She wore a nice black blouse and jacket, along with a modest skirt and boots.

"Chloe, nice to see that you show up after everything's gone down," Lois said.

Chloe Sullivan shrugged in response. "Hey, being on the blog means I only have to check in at least once a week. Kara's mostly my spy on the field."

"And she must be telling you a lot, given that you have a lot of late night meetings that go a long time," Claire said.

"Right, yeah, she's telling me a lot," Chloe responded. She shook her head at Claire's naivety about the situation.

She gave Lois one of those looks that told Lois that she better keep her mouth shut. Lois did zip her lip and hard as well.

"Your own intern does go into the office more than you do," Lois said.

Chloe shrugged her shoulders in response. "Actually, I prefer the term assistant. It just seems a lot better, that she's my assistant and not my intern."

"Hey, if the shoe fits, wear it," Lois replied.

"So, how are you feeling?" Chloe asked Claire.

"Like she has a broken arm and a concussion," Lois answered for Claire. Claire gave Lois one of those side looks, but the feisty brunette wasn't willing to back up. "Hey, I just call things exactly how I see them, Smallville."

The three of them talked for a little bit, at least until they got another visitor. Kara stood at the door.

"We'll just excuse ourselves, things are getting a bit crowded," Chloe said. She smiled when she passed Kara and Chloe did the same.

"Claire, how are you feeling?" Kara asked.

"Like I have a concussion, a broken arm, and I'm doped up on sedatives," Claire said. She never could be affected by human medication before, which was another somber reminder that her powers were completely and utterly gone. "So, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kara said. "I need to ask you a favor, if I can use the Fortress?"

Claire gave Kara a calm look. "The Fortress is yours, use it as you please. I won't have much use for it anymore."

Kara nodded. She could see Claire about ready to have an attitude problem. And she honestly wasn't in the mood for it.

"Okay Claire, what's…."

"You shouldn't be going after Intergang," Claire said firmly to Kara. "They have weapons that are able to tear you up, and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"If I'm not going to go after them, than who is going to?" Kara asked. She answered her own question. "The MCU are underpaid and understaffed and way in over their heads. They might have the weapons to take me down, but I'm the best person for the job, the only person for the job."

"Kara…"

"Metropolis is my city as well, Clara," Kara said. She folded her arms and scowled at her. "You're not the only one who wants to protect it, and you have no right to tell me that I can't do it."

Claire looked at Kara and the conversation got awkward. Thankfully for Kara, she got a text. It was from Barbara and it was urgent. That rarely spelled anything good in her life. "I've got to go, call your mother when you get back, she's worried about you."

Kara left and she brushed past three more visitors. Claire looked up and smiled. "Dinah, Helena, Diana, come in."

* * *

Bruno Mannheim walked his way down the hallways of the Maximum Security prison in Metropolis that Morgan Edge was being kept in. He was summoned by Edge for a little chat. He felt like a little punk kid getting summoned to the Principal's office, when Corporal Punishment was still in vogue.

The first thing Mannheim knew that Edge might have traded up going to prison. He had all of the comforts of home, a gym, a library, and luxurious wing in the prison. It was more of a holiday home than a prison.

' _Magnificent bastard,'_ Mannheim said. He had to respect the way Edge got things done, even though his time as the Kingpin of Metropolis was reaching an end.

"Ed, tell your daughter that Uncle Morgan said hi, and tell her to keep up the good work in college," Morgan Edge said.

He was chatting with the guard casually as he went to greet Mannheim, who was being escorted by two of his bodyguards. The guard consulted the list that he had.

"Ed, he's a business associate, a good friend, let him in," Edge said.

Ed the Security guard nodded. After all, Edge put his daughter in college. He was an honest man who had been railroaded by the Luthors. The court system in Metropolis was fairly corrupt.

"So, Intergang was all over the news today," Edge said once the security guard was gone and he and Mannheim had a chance to speak rather privately with each other. "And you just had to make a statement, didn't you?"

"Yes," Mannheim said. He was ready to defend himself. "We needed to shut Lane up…"

"And you didn't, and she's going to be going after you harder than ever," Edge said. "And now you've got Supergirl involved. You should have had your boys make your shots count, you'll never get another one like that ever again."

"What are you trying to say?" Mannheim asked.

"I'm telling you, not to send a thug out there to do a professional's job," Edge fired back. "That was your first and biggest mistake. You sent a bunch of goons that were all excited by their new toys that they got and they overestimated their own ability to use them."

Mannheim swallowed what he was saying hard. He wanted to rip into Edge, but he knew that he would never get a chance to do so.

"What are you trying to say?" Mannheim asked.

"I'm saying is that you'll never get another chance, because I don't want you to mess with this again," Edge said. "Lie low, I'll be out of here in a few months, and I'll fix this. Don't compromise the actual business by asking like some hot head thug."

Mannheim didn't want Edge to fix this. He wanted to be the big boss of Intergang. The problem was that he needed more allies and respect. Those bodyguards might protect him to an extent, but they knew where their next meal was coming from.

He was working underneath Edge, despite being on the outside. So he had his balls in a vice and not in a good way either.

"What exactly do you want me to do now?"

* * *

 **To Be Continued June 18** **th** **, 2015.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Kara's Day Off.**

* * *

Kara had plenty of rage to channel, given the droning voice that was practically ruining her morning, digging into her skull in the background.

"And once again, there was an attack at the Daily Planet. That nosy bitch Lois Lane must have pissed off the wrong person yet again. But, it seems like her lesbian lover has gone into hiding, as Superwoman didn't show. Her little teeny bopper sidekick was the one that had to bail out the people at the Daily Planet."

Kara closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming herself down. She aimed a roundhouse kick directly at Donna. Donna dodged the attack.

The two girls were dressed in tight shorts and sports bras with no shoes when they were sparring. Donna's top was black and Kara's was red. Barbara was sprawled out on the couch with a tablet doing some work on a case that a friend of hers ran into in Gotham City. It was quite the problem, but it wouldn't be in Gotham City if there wasn't problems.

Donna and Kara sparred with each other when they were greeted by the droning magical tones of one woman by the name of Livewire. Kara tried for a punch. Donna avoided the punch. She decided that it was the best time to critique her technique.

"You're telegraphing yourself too soon," Donna reminded her. She dodged another punch with grace and ease. "It's good when you're going up against some thug who doesn't know his head from his ass. But what about when you go against someone who actually knows what they're doing? What are you going to do then?"

Kara didn't answer. She aimed a brutal punch towards Donna. Donna crouched down and dodged it once again.

Adorned on her wrist was a red watch that glowed. It allowed her to shut off her powers and make for a more interesting sparring session. After Claire lost her powers, Kara doubled up on her attempts to learn how to fight without relying on her powers. If she was honest, she used them as a crutch sometimes. Claire did for so long and she was paying for it right about now.

"And, I wonder where she's hiding. Is she too afraid to come out? Afraid that I'm right? Afraid that she's nothing but a spurned over that's upset that Lex didn't take her to the prom."

Kara was at her wit's end regarding Willis and her never being able to shut up.

"Does that annoying bitch ever shut up?" Kara asked.

She was answered by Donna knocking Kara her feet and she was pinned down to the ground. She pinned her down to the ground with a grin on her face.

"You shouldn't get distracted," Donna said. She straddled Kara down on the ground. It wasn't the first time these two were in this position. Not in the slightest.

Donna was pleased that she had Kara in such a position. With her powers, she normally found her way on top. Donna eased up and Kara was allowed up to her feet. The two of them resumed their sparring session with a renewed fever and intensity. Both of them went toe to toe with each other and neither backed down from what they were doing.

"I'm not getting distracted," Kara protested. She could feel Donna nearly take her head off with a swiping punch. She crouched down to avoid the attack before Donna hammered her in the back of her head.

"Willis can be grating yes," Donna said. "But the music on the channel is pretty good."

"Someone needs to tell her to hit a commercial or something," Kara said. She flipped out of the way one of one of Donna's attacks. She landed on her feet and Donna caught her with a reverse kick on the back swing. "The commercials are less grating than her."

"That says something about a person when you think that a commercial is pretty much less annoying than she is," Donna replied. Kara and Donna continued to trade attacks with each other.

Donna found herself backed up a little bit. Perhaps it was just her, but Kara was improving a little bit more. She had a fierce intensity that couldn't be denied.

"So, what's the deal with going to Themyscira?" Kara asked. She was curious about something and she hadn't had a real chance to talk to Diana lately. "Are we going there for our vacation this summer?"

"Yes, well tentatively, yes," Donna answered. She fired a series of punches towards Kara who dodged them. Kara returned fire with a series of rapid fire blows of her own and she backed Donna off. "We were supposed to meet Diana for lunch today, but something came up with her so she had to back out."

"Hope that everything is alright," Kara replied. She scrunched her nose and frowned.

"It's Diana, it should be alright," Donna replied. She hammered away at Kara. Kara's knee buckled up underneath her. "I'm not sure if it's her super hero job or her civilian job that's causing the problems to come up."

Kara swept Donna's leg out from underneath her and pinned her down onto the ground.

"And you're the one that really needs to talk about distractions," Kara said. Thankfully they had gone to the sweet sound of a commercial and Willis had shut up.

Willis's voice really was her Kryptonite. Actually, Kryptonite was her Kryptonite, but that was beside the point. She allowed Donna to get to her feet. Kara grinned when Donna shook the cobwebs off.

"I think that I won that round," Kara said.

"Yes, I think that you did, so we're going best two of three, aren't we?" Donna asked. Kara nodded in response. "Barbara gets the winner, doesn't she?"

Barbara's eyes went up from her tablet, finishing what she was doing. "Given how hard you two are going at each other, I'm almost scared."

"Don't worry, honey, I'll go gentle on you," Donna said. She gave Barbara a wink when she got into a battle stance.

"Yeah, you're acting like it's a foregone conclusion that you're going to beat me," Kara said, rising to the challenge that Donna was giving her.

"Hey, I'm confident, do you think that you can blame me for being confident?" Donna asked.

Kara couldn't blame her from being confident. She was just going to make her think twice about being overconfident. The Amazon and the Kryptonian circled each other. Both waited for the other to make the first move.

"Give the last person that I fought spent half of our sparring session knocking me on my ass last time; I think that I'll pass," Barbara said. She gave a cheesy little grin.

"Your loss, Babs," Kara said. She avoided nearly getting her head knocked off.

"And for those of you who have been living underneath a rock, let's talk about Superwoman and how she didn't show up to save the day. She caused Daily Planet reporter Claire Kent to be severely injured because of her inability to show up. Given the rumors of the relationship between Kent and Lois Lane, we can see that her jealous bitch streak is even far and wide. Superwoman should be brought to justice, along with her spunky little teen sidekick, and her Super Best Friends Forever, and furthermore….."

Kara's heat vision had a mysterious malfunction and hit the radio, silencing Willis. The radio was reduced to a charring dripping pile of melt that reeked.

"You know, that radio had a lot of static anyway," Donna said dryly. "So, I guess we're doing this one silent."

The two resumed their battle and it was extremely intense. Barbara actually put down her tablet to watch the closing moments of their sparring session. It was going to be a close one, perhaps two close to call.

* * *

It hit Claire the moment that Kara escorted her from the hospital, into a car, that she didn't have much of a choice of a manner. When her cousin was persistent, she could really be persistent.

"Claire, I know for a fact that you didn't call Martha," Kara said. Claire looked towards Kara. Her right arm was still in a slick. "Just because you're being a moody emo bitch, that doesn't mean that you have to make the people that you love suffer."

Claire firmly kept her mouth shut. That might be one of the better decisions she made since losing her powers.

"Plus, the country air will do you some good," Kara said. "And we do need a break from the city."

"Weren't you the one that was all gung-ho about going to the city and getting away from Smallville?" Claire argued.

Claire was a bit nervous about seeing Kara drive. Driving was one of the things that she learned how to do without her powers. Kara wouldn't let her drive, and Claire couldn't blame her. One armed driving wasn't something that she could do or she could recommend.

To her credit, Kara was a fairly able driver. It might not be something that she could do smoothly as flying, but she was able to navigate the highway that lead to the country roads of Smallville. A lot better than a lot of the people who she saw driving down this road.

"That was a long time ago, Claire, I was bored, I wanted to see the rest of the world," Kara told her. She made her way closer towards her. "And I think it's more because you forgot about who Claire Kent could be."

"Claire Kent wasn't anyone remarkable, as the incident at the Planet proved," Claire said.

"Stop it," Kara said through gritted teeth. "Just stop it."

If she didn't need to keep her eyes on the road, and her hands on the wheel, she would have smacked Claire for being such a moody emo bitch. She knew that Martha would give her a strict telling to if she caught Claire acting that way in her presence.

This fact was the reason why Kara dragged Claire's ass into the car and took her all the way to Smallville.

"And you shouldn't really worry about Intergang," Claire piped in.

Kara sighed. She really sighed. It was a good thing they came to a stop sign right now because it gave her a moment to take a deep breath and mentally count to ten. Claire just really wouldn't let up with it.

"I'm being serious, Kara, you shouldn't worry about them, you should focus on your schooling and get through that," Claire told Kara.

"Yes, Claire, thank you, you've made it perfectly clear what you think about me doing good for the city," Kara said. Her tone was even, oddly calm, a bit icy. "I can balance both lives."

Kara stopped herself from saying a lot better than Claire did. She wasn't about to say that. Her cousin was being moody enough as it was.

Claire shook her head. She never seen anyone as stubborn and bullheaded in her entire life as Kara was. She decided switching subjects would be for the best.

"It would be good to get away from Metropolis for a few days, actually," Claire said.

"Are you actually admitting that I'm right, even if it's in a backhanded way?" Kara asked. She didn't know what to say. She almost wanted to fall over in shock at what her cousin was telling her. That was something that she never expected.

Kara thought that she would mark this day down on her calendar forever. Her cousin admitted that she was right.

"Smallville is a lot less hectic than it was during my younger days," Claire told her. Kara raised her eyebrow.

"You mean when meteor mutants attacked pretty much every week?" Kara asked.

Claire nodded in response. That was an intense trial by fire, but it allowed her to learn a lot about herself, who she was, and how lucky she was that her powers didn't drive. She grew into her powers, where these people were given their powers and their minds were warped by an excessive degree.

Kara pulled up to the Kent farm. She made her way up the driveway.

"So, how are things between you and Lois?" Kara asked.

"Fine," Claire said. She didn't elaborate on that any more. "So, how are things between you, Donna, and Barbara?"

Kara raised her eyebrow.

"I do hope that even though you aren't listening to me about this Intergang thing, you are focusing on school, and I'm sure Diana and Commissioner Gordon would agree with me that the other two should be focusing on their studies above everything else as well," Claire said.

She really didn't know when to let up. Kara almost admired her for this.

Kara smiled. "We're doing well. Barbara is setting new records for her to break every day and Donna is excelling, even though Barbara had to tutor her…..kind like Chloe had to tutor me so I didn't get baffled by some of the more simplistic things that Earth has to offer."

"Well, I got confused by some of the Kryptonian science, but I guess that's common for you," Claire said.

Kara agreed and she got out of the car. Sure enough, the door opened and an attractive redheaded woman in her mid-forties exited the Kent family homestead. She approached Claire and Kara.

"Martha, it's good to see you," Kara said with a smile.

"Yeah, Ma, it's good to see you," Claire said. She could see Martha eying the cast on her arm, but she pulled Claire into a hug all the same.

The two cousins decided to settle down in the Kent homestead.

* * *

Lunch was made as always. One thing Kara could say without any hesitation is that there were few things that could beat a good home cooked meal. And given that her cooking skills were hit and miss, she took as much time to get that opportunity from someone else as she could.

"It's been a long time since you've had a chance to visit or call, Claire," Martha said. She sat down at the table right across her daughters. "I hope that everything is going alright."

Claire groaned. She knew that Martha Kent knew that everything was not going. She gave Kara a side long look. It was obvious that the two of them had been in contact since the final battle with Lex.

And it was obvious by the look on her face that Martha knew that Claire knew that she knew. Claire shook her head.

"Everything has bene fine," Claire said.

"Claire Kent, you should know better than that," Martha said. She frowned when she looked at her daughter. "It happened when you lost your powers."

"I lost my powers, yes," Claire said. She sighed. There was no getting past Martha.

"Jonathan always said that things happened for a reason," Martha reminded her daughter.

Claire closed her eyes. That was the last thing that she needed to have brought up for her right now. Jonathan Kent's death occurred a couple of years back; he fell to a heart attack and it was his third one in fact. With all of her super powers, Claire couldn't save him. She couldn't save him. There was nothing to happen. It was his third heart attack.

He went down so fast, it was in an instant. That morning he was happy as could be, the next moment he was gone. It was a somber reality that even with her powers, they were far out of her ability to do.

"I lost my powers, I guess it's over," Claire said.

"Did I raise you to give up just like that?" Martha asked. Claire gave her mother a frown. "I know for a fact that I didn't raise you to have a bad attitude like that."

Claire would have folded her arms in a huff if one of them hadn't been broke. She settled for awkwardly eating the soup that had been made for her.

"There are plenty of people who do well without their powers, or really any powers whatsoever," Martha reminded.

"Yes, Ollie and Bruce, funny what happened to them, isn't it?" Claire asked. Her tone was getting a bit somber. She held up the arm that was trapped in the sling. Her movement was limited and her frustration was at an all-time high. "And this proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that heroics in my state honestly isn't really the best idea."

Martha picked up the cup of coffee she had and slowly sipped on it when she looked at Claire.

"Yes, I understand that this has been a rough year for you," Martha said. "It's been a rough year for a lot of us."

Claire knew that she was talking about Pa's death and the guilt racked her body once again. Martha noticed the look that was going over Claire's face.

"You shouldn't feel guilty about that," Martha said. "Jonathan knew that there were heart problems in his family and this was the third time that he suffered one."

Claire nodded, she recalled. The first time was due to a wild summer that she had where she had been exposed to Red Kryptonite. That was the summer that she met Diana for the first time and things got interesting from there. Jonathan had been tasked to retrieve her by the artificial intelligence of her birth father, Jor-El.

The Jor-El AI was long since rendered inactive, but his legacy went on, for a long time. The sooner Claire could put what he's done out of her mind, the better off that she could be. He was a valuable source of knowledge, but his personality caused her problems. The problem was that it was pretty difficult for her to put something like that out of her mind. It had been a long time since that happened.

"As for Oliver and Bruce, they understood the risks, given the enemies that they made," Martha said.

"Yes, they understood those risks," Claire said. Given some of the things Bruce had been doing since before she was even on Earth, it was a wonder that he lived long enough to see his end.

The Joker made Batman's end be extremely climatic, pretty much mentally breaking him, before physically breaking him. This had been one of the worst years for heroes ever with all that happened. Claire losing her powers made her fell like she was one of the lucky ones.

Batman died, Green Arrow was killed, Aquaman was slain in battle defending his kingdom, Zatanna's father was murdered. There were others that she was sure that she forgot about, if she thought about it.

"Jonathan wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over anything that happened, Claire," Martha told her daughter gently. "A lot of bad things happen, and you're just going to have to learn to deal with it, or you get broken up by it."

Kara was silent for most of this time. She knew that Martha would be a lot more tactful with what she was saying that Kara might have been in a similar situation.

* * *

Under the pretext of going for a walk, Kara arrived in the midst of a rather interesting cave. The young heroine stepped forward.

The cave had interesting markings that depicted a legend of great power. That was not the thing that Kara was concerned. She activated the portal.

She could just fly up there, but this way was quicker. Granted, it was only quicker by about twelve seconds, but still given the circumstances, time was in fact everything.

She made sure the vial of blood she had in her hand was clutched there. When Kara was certain that was secured, she took a couple of steps forward.

It was a virtual ice palace, with snow flying in every single imaginable direction. The cold and biting wind blew in her face. Not that she minded because of her powers, Kara was immune to the cold in pretty much every single sense of the word.

"Greetings, Kara, it has been too long."

Kara smiled at the person who greeted her. The current guardian of the Fortress presented herself. While they had kept Jor-El around as a really sophisticated and high tech alien version of Google, it was best that this individual was the guardian of the Fortress.

"Lara, I'm glad to see you in the flesh," Kara said.

"Well, in a matter of speaking, yes," Lara said.

The AI manifested herself as a solid hologram. Her skin glowed in the light. It shined brightly, allowing Kara to see every inch of her in the light where she stood. Her blonde hair was done up nicely and she had blue eyes. She wore an elegant set of black and silver robes that shimmered in the light. There was an "S" symbol, the crest for the House of El adorned on her sleeve on the side.

"How is my daughter doing?" Lara asked.

Kara frowned. "She's not taking the loss of her powers too well."

"Kara, I would like your honest opinion on how my daughter is doing, if you please," Lara said, trying to coax a more honest response from Kara.

Kara sighed and she gave Lara her absolutely honest opinion. "She's acting like an utter emo bitch to be honest."

"Well, that was honest," Lara responded. She sighed. "She always had some trouble struggling with her duel identity. She needs to be Claire Kent as much as she needs to be Superwoman and it's a hard balance to meet."

"Her instincts are still there, that's the problem," Kara said.

"But her abilities, aren't?" Lara asked.

Kara nodded in affirmation. "Exactly, her abilities honestly aren't there. I don't know what to do anymore."

"Claire's fighting style has always been to use her powers as a blunt force and it worked rather well for her as most of her enemies were rather human, at least for the most part," Lara said. "But the times that she couldn't use her powers as a blunt force…"

"She struggled, really bad, I know," Kara conceded. She honestly didn't know what to tell Lara and that was the really bad thing. "I've got the sample of blood that you asked for."

"Place it in the slot," Lara said.

Kara did what she was told. She noticed that Kara seemed to be distracted by something.

"Is everything quite alright with you?" Lara asked her.

Kara shook her head. "Well, I wouldn't say that everything is quite alright with me. Intergang is back in business and they have some of the worst alien weapons I've ever run into. These things could cause damage to me and they're putting civilians at risk."

"You don't know what they have," Lara said.

"I know it isn't Kryptonian, but it's something awful," Kara said.

"If you can, bring one of the weapons next time, and we can figure this out together," Lara said. She finished up with the analysis of her blood. "Clara's blood is still fundamentally Kryptonian. It just doesn't have the enhanced properties that super powered Kryptonians have."

"Meaning?" Kara asked. She had an idea what this meant, but she would like Lara to confirm fully.

"Her ability to transmute yellow solar radiation into power has been corrupted and blocked," Lara informed Kara.

That was about along the lines of the news that Kara feared above all else. She knew that if Claire's DNA had been corrupted, it might be difficult to reverse this.

"Is there any hope to reverse this?" Kara asked. She clung on to a little bit hope that this could be reversed.

"Without gold Kryptonite, we can't say," Lara informed her.

"And the only sample of the gold Kryptonite was destroyed during the battle with Lex," Kara said. That pretty much threw them back to square one and the frustration that occurred along with that. "Thank you….."

Kara got a text from Chloe. It was about a story and a request to meet Chloe at her apartment ASAP.

"Duty calls," Kara said. "Thank you for your time."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on June 21** **st** **, 2015.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Cold Case Part One.**

* * *

Chloe tapped her foot. She thought that this was a pretty hot story. Okay, hot might not be the right move to use due to the circumstances. Still it was kind of weird and really baffling. She could not wait to tell Kara about it, but the wait for Kara to show up was almost painful.

Almost on cue, Kara was here. Chloe nearly jumped out of her skin and she staggered backwards when she saw Kara show up.

"So, I'm here," Kara said. Chloe turned around and blinked. She thought about giving Kara a lecture about sneaking up on her like it, but she just settled for shaking her head in response.

"Yes, you're here, I can see that," Chloe said. She sighed, "I was worried that you didn't get my text."

Kara shrugged, "Well, I was up in the Arctic, and I was trying to figure out things regarding Claire up there. I did get it, but it took me a bit to get back"

Chloe figured that Kara was hot on the case because of that.

"Dare I ask if you had any luck?" Chloe asked. Kara gave a heaving sigh which caused Chloe to frown, "And I suppose that heaving sigh of doom pretty much is going to tell me everything that I need to know, about the fact that you didn't have any luck."

She pretty much had her fill of the Claire Kent self-loathing emo trip when she was in high school, but it seemed worse when they were old. At least you could excuse it because of standard teenage angst before.

"No, I didn't have any luck," Kara admitted. She shook her head briefly and got back on track. "And it wasn't for any lack of trying. I talked to Lara. It seems like we're sunk without at the Golden Kryptonite."

"Didn't you figure that Lex must have had that special made or something?" Chloe asked her.

"He must have, or he just happened to stumble upon the one piece of gold Kryptonite on Earth," Kara answered. She tapped her finger on the bridge of her nose, "I would ask if anyone could be that lucky, but knowing that it's Lex, he could be that lucky."

Chloe invited Kara into her apartment. She already had a cup of coffee made.

"I'd figure that you'd need that more than ever now," Chloe said. She handed it to Kara, and she too it gratefully. Chloe gathered her train of thought, "Given that you've been dealing with your cousin."

"She's in Smallville visiting Martha, and I'm sure nothing bad is going to happen," Kara said. That caused Chloe to raise her eyebrow.

"Yeah, because Smallville is the place where you go when you expect nothing bad to happen," Chloe answered, shaking her head. Kara looked sheepish at what she said. "But, I guess that things have calmed down there a little bit. Not like they were when we were in high school, where a meteor mutant attacked us pretty every single week."

"Claire told me all about, told me many stories, looks like I came out of the pod to miss most of that," Kara said. She lifted the cup of coffee that she had and took a long sip of it. She frowned when she looked towards Chloe, "So, what's the deal here?"

"The deal is that someone has been attacking the diamond district in Metropolis," Chloe informed her. Kara raised her eyebrow.

"Is it Intergang?" Kara asked.

"Something tells me no," Chloe admitted. She reached into an envelope on the table and produced some pictures for Kara to look at. "I want you to take a look at these, and tell me what you think."

She placed the photos down in front of Kara. She raised her eyebrow when she looked them over.

One of the guards seemed to be proven to death. The walls of the museum had been turned into solid snow. The ground was turned into ice as well. Kara frowned deeply when she looked it over.

"Iced themed crimes and diamonds are referred to ice on the black market," Kara said. Chloe nodded in response. Kara pressed on further, "And let's face it, we know a few ice themed criminals that could pull something like this off."

Chloe nodded. "Yeah, I've done some checking around. Victor Fries is still in Arkham Asylum, continuing his research on his wife to cure her disease. Icepick is in Belle Reve and Captain Cold is in Iron Heights. They're all present and accounted for."

"So, we're dealing with someone new and dangerous," Kara said. Chloe nodded to confirm. "Do we have any eyewitness accounts?"

"No, the guards in question suffered from severe hypothermia and frostbite, but it was thankfully nothing lethal," Chloe said. She cupped her hand to her chin and tilted her head back, closing her eyes, "Of course, they aren't talking that much due to their condition. At least the criminal in question didn't kill them. And they haven't killed anyone, yet."

Kara took the portable computer she had on her and started to punch in the diamond district places that were robbed. She frowned.

"So, is there a pattern?" Chloe asked.

"No," Kara said. "I'm really baffled…..I think it's time for me to call in some help to figure this out, figure who could be causing this."

"Your friend at STAR Labs?" Chloe asked her.

"Yes, Doctor Swann," Kara confirmed. She really needed to get to the bottom of this. She came to one conclusion, "This might not be a job for Supergirl, but this looks like a job for Kara Kent."

"Doesn't have the same ring to it, but I'll allow it," Chloe said, barely keeping the ear to ear grin off of her face.

* * *

Kara was in her Kara Kent disguise and she was on her way to STAR Labs. The Metropolis branch of STAR labs were founded by Doctor Virgil Swann to help the traveler on his way to Earth. Now that Virgil Swann passed away, his daughter took control of the labs.

"So, they're all where they should be?" Kara asked.

"Yes, I double checked, you can never be too careful," Barbara said. She sighed, "We're dealing with a new player and I don't know how dangerous this person is. What kind of weapon this thief has? If this thief has a weapon, hell we don't even know if it's a man or a woman."

"That can be a bit of a problem," Kara agreed. The doors of STAR Labs swung open and Kara entered in. She stopped at the front desk and showed her pass towards the woman at the desk.

She had bene here so often that Patricia Swann had issued her pass so she could visit this place in both her civilian identity and her superhero one. The woman at the front desk nodded and Kara made her way into the building unrestricted, walking around the corner.

Kara heard a gasp when she went around the corner. She ran nearly headlong into an attractive brunette woman. That wasn't the oddest thing about that, Kara could feel that she was cold when she exited wherever she was exiting.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't watch where I was going," the woman said, shaking her head.

"It's okay," Kara said. She frowned. "But….you're….so cold?"

"Well, I've been inside this storage unit, some of the equipment needs to be cooled for it to be used properly," the scientist said. She motioned towards the temperature gage on there, "And I had to run some experiments in that environment as well."

Kara looks at the thermostat and raised her eyebrow in response. "Doesn't that bother you to be in the cold?"

"One can get used to it if they train themselves in a controlled environment," the scientist informed her. She folded her arms in response and looked into Kara's bright blue eyes. "What brings you to STAR Labs, Miss…"

"Kent…..Kara Kent," Kara said. She reached forward for a handshake, but the woman leaned down, to pick up something that she dropped to the ground, thus the moment is lost.

"Doctor Caitlin Snow," the brunette scientist responded with a smile, "What brings you to STAR Labs."

"I'm here to talk to Doctor Swann, I work for the Daily Planet, and I wanted her insight about something," Kara said.

"Doctor Swann had to leave town for a conference," Caitlin said. She regarded the young female with curiosity. "Is there anything that I can do to help you?"

"Well there's a series of ice crimes that are going over Metropolis, and…..well I was wondering if it might have been a Meta human," Kara said. "After the particle accelerator explosion all those years ago….."

"Yes, I know all about that," Caitlin said. "You wanted to know if our thief could have been a meta-human with powers from that explosion."

She invited Kara into her office to sit down. Kara took the seat in front of her desk and Caitlin poured her a cup of coffee.

"I'm not sure if our thief could have come from one of STAR Lab's greatest mishaps," Caitlin said. She was in a really funny mood for some reason. "The Central City Branch went under many years later. Many good people lost their lives and many good people, they had their lives ruined. And all because of one man."

She clutched her fist against the stack of papers on her desk. She closed her eyes and mentally counted to ten.

"I remember reading about how STAR was working on a serum that could limit the exposures from the cold, to prevent frostbite and hypothermia," Kara said. She drummed her fingers on the side of her desk. "Do you think that it's possible that it could be reversed to give someone ice powers?"

"In theory, anything's possible with chemicals, including things we thought were impossible," Caitlin said. "I know all about that, the work is mine, and…..well I've hit some stumbling blocks trying to complete it."

"I'm sorry to hear about that," Kara said. She reached forward and placed her hand on top of Caitlin's. She flinched underneath her touch, "Is there something wrong?"

"No, sorry, I have had a very long day," Caitlin said. Her cell phone went off. "And I got to get this right now….it was a pleasure meeting you, Kara, but I've got to get this. I'll tell Patricia…that's to say Doctor Swann, that you stopped by and I'm sure she can get in touch with you, if you see something."

Chloe spoke in her ear a few seconds after Caitlin left, "You know, I used to really bad excuses because of Claire and how she used them before she finally came clean about her gifts, but this might top all of the bad excuses."

"You think?" Kara asked.

Kara made her way into the cold storage room that Caitlin left. She made sure no one was around.

There were equipment and chemicals in the room. Caitlin's story seemed to check out so far, despite how flighty and nervous she seemed.

That was until she came across a box that was in lead. Anything lead based was a cause for suspicion.

"And we're just going to open a mysterious box that we don't know what's inside, aren't we?" Chloe asked. Kara sighed, "Yes, I know it could be a clue, but what if it's Kryptonite?"

"Shields remember," Kara said.

"Only against the green stuff, remember?" Chloe asked, matching Kara's tone.

"Use the scanner on your computer," Barbara reminded her. "If it's Kryptonite of any kind, it will pick it up."

Kara did as Barbara asked. She already was doing as Barbara asked. Having two tech girls in her ear might be overkill sometimes, but two sets of eyes were better than one. She hated to see the madhouse if they ever had three tech girls in the ear piece, but what were the odds of that ever happening?

She waited for the moment of truth. She kept one super hearing enabled ear open to hear everything involved around her.

"Nothing, it came up clean," Kara said. She undid the box and could see several vials of a crystal blue substance. "But there's most certainly something in there….and one of the vials seemed to be missing."

"Jewelry store robbery," Chloe said urgently in her ear. "Could be your ice thief?"

Kara pondered this nice and long. She didn't know what to think.

"Maybe," Kara said. She slowly lifted one of the vials from the box and shut it. She slipped the vial into her bag.

This time, it looked like a job for Supergirl.

* * *

Kara was fully suited up and ready to go. She spotted some ice on the sidewalk. Which wasn't unusual in Metropolis, at least until you realized that the temps were well over the freezing point necessary for ice.

She dropped down onto the ground. Kara opened the door and nearly bumped head long into a woman dressed in a blue and white suit, with a hood pulled over the top of her head.

"Supergirl," she commented in a near whisper.

"You need to come quietly," Kara said. She was surprised how reluctant and non-hostile this woman was.

The woman took a step back and shivered.

"No, I can't….he's the only one that can help me," the woman said. She raised her hand towards her. The woman added in a cool tone, "And you better help them, before they suffer permanent damage."

Kara shook her head and she reached towards the woman. The woman panicked and grabbed her around the arm. She tried to use her powers to freeze her and absorb her body heat. The body heat she needed to sustain her normal form.

Just a little touch, that was all, just enough not to kill her. She practiced on animals, but they didn't sustain her for long enough.

She pulled herself away. Kara shook her head when she looked at her. She recalled that touch right away and couldn't believe it.

"Cailtin?" Kara asked in surprise. "Caitlin Snow?"

"You weren't supposed to know that, you've complicated things," she said when she felt a bit better after absorbing her heat. It reminded her of the sun she could no longer feel after her accident. "And, your powers…..Kara?"

It all clicked with her. No wonder Kara Kent could sustain her touch when she visited her at STAR Labs earlier, because she was Supergirl.

"That complicates things as well," Kara muttered.

The doors opened and one of the MCU's finest entered. Caitlin spun around and grabbed him by the wrist.

"Three seconds, more than enough for it to be a problem, but more than enough for you to get him medical attention," Caitlin said. "Which I know you will, because you're a good person, and I'm really sorry about this."

She left instantly and forced Kara to kneel down at the man. She focused her heat vision and warmed his body up.

There was a certain science to her powers and Kara had to focus. She needed to focus on him and what she needed to do to heal this man.

"Help!" Kara yelled. "This man needs medical attention!"

Maggie Sawyer turned up seconds later and Kara was relieved. With Detective Sawyer here, the man was in good hands.

Her not so mysterious villain got away. The good thing was that Kara had the vial.

"So, what's your plan next?" Chloe asked.

"I'm heading to Arkham," Kara said.

"Look, I know that super heroing is a stressful job that can drive you nuts, but there's no reason to go to Arkham over it," Barbara said almost jokingly. She could feel the intense stare. She sighed and spoke up, "Okay, just trying to lighten the mood, I'll shut up now."

"Oh, I see what you're doing," Chloe piped up.

Kara shut up into the sky without another word. She needed to get to the bottom of this, "Chloe, research Caitlin for me, full background check."

"Sure, I've got nothing else better to do," Chloe said. This tied into the ice thief story that she was writing for the blog, "Do you want me to mention…"

"I prefer not to defame anyone until I can figure out what's going on, because she's certainly not working on her own accord," Kara said.

"Right, I'll leave Killer Frost's name out until we know more about this," Chloe said. She could feel Kara cringe, "Not a fan of that name? Well, it isn't my fault, that's what other people are calling her. It's just stuck."

* * *

Caitlin Snow made her way inside the lab. She could feel the numbness returning to her fingers after she drained some of Supergirl's body heat. She felt her desire for body heat return, but she shook her head.

She looked down at a stray cat that was giving her wide eyes. Her hand twitched when she sensed its body heat.

"No, have to fight it, stronger than that," Cailtin said. She could feel a tightening in her chest, but somehow she had the will power to fight it.

"You've been burning the midnight oils hoping vainly to find a cure, but you've run into brick wall after brick wall, haven't you?" a slick voice asked for the shadows.

"Please, I've done pretty much everything that I've asked of you," Caitlin said.

The man extended his hand out wordlessly, "Bag."

Caitlin held out the bag with a trembling hand. The man continued coldly, "You couldn't find a cure after all of the nights that you've tried. And it's getting worse for you. And you're almost enjoying attacking people, aren't you? You try to hold back the monster inside you."

"You're the monster!" Caitlin snapped.

"Yes, typical, you'd try to turn this around on me, Caitlin," the man said shaking his head wordlessly. "Just let it go, feel your power, embrace who you are, Killer Frost."

"Don't call me that!" Caitlin screamed. She was tempted to reach forward and kill this bastard. It was only the fact that she needed him that she didn't.

"That's what everyone was calling you, and I wonder what it would be like if the world found out that Doctor Caitlin Snow was Killer Frost," the man taunted her. "It starts hard enough at first. The first man I killed, I wept for him. It was difficult. The second man was easier, but I hesitated before I did so. The third one was seamless and it was smooth sailing from there. I needed to take something for them, all in the name of science. They were more useful to me dead than alive. You can't sustain yourself for that long without finishing the job."

The man went through the bag and frowned, "This was only half of what I told you to get."

"Please, Doctor Ivo, there were complications, Supergirl showed up, and I….." Cailtin said.

"That's enough," Ivo replied. He didn't want to hear another excuse from her. He frowned extremely deeply when he looked into her eyes, "So, Supergirl showed up. And you had a visitor at STAR Labs, didn't you, Killer Frost?"

"I told you, don't call me that name," Caitlin said.

"Yes, embrace those feelings, for they will allow you to become what you truly are," Ivo said. He sounded rather sinister.

"Maybe I should kill you," Caitlin said. She reached over the table.

"Yes, maybe, but remember I'm the only one that can cure you from your affliction," Ivo said. "To kill me means that there's a huge part of you who gets off on this abilities and the horror that she could cause with them. To kill me means that you've embraced becoming Killer Frost."

Caitlin withdrew and slumped into the chair.

"Kara Kent visited you today," Ivo said. "I know who she is, and this is why I'm not happy."

Caitlin looked extremely pale and she looked Ivo directly in the eye, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh you don't know what I'm talking about, for an intelligent woman, you can be exceedingly thick sometimes," Ivo said. He snapped his fingers in his usual calm and casual manner and spelled it out for her, "Well, if you don't know, let me spell it out for you. Kara Kent works with Chloe Sullivan. Chloe Sullivan is the cousin of that nosy bitch Lois Lane. That nosy bitch Lois Lane always gets rescued by Superwoman. It's not quite the six degrees of Kevin Bacon, but it will do. It all comes back to Superwoman!"

The man's voice showed more emotion than ever before when he spoke about Superwoman. It angered him how much she foiled his plans in the past.

"Superwoman is dead," Caitlin said.

"Did you see any corpse?" Ivo replied. He shook his head and continued, "That's a rule that you should learn when dealing with these capes. No body means they aren't dead. She's still out there somewhere, and if any of her friends will get in trouble, she could return. I'm sick and tired of Superwoman and her caped friends foiling my plans to take over the world!"

Caitlin looked at him like he was nuts because he was nuts.

"Was that over the top, I can never tell sometimes?" Ivo asked. He grinned widely. "Well, whether it was over the top or not, I've got the ultimate weapon to take down Superwoman and you helped me fund it."

"I don't know why you're wasting your time, Superwoman is…"

"That's what Swann told you, wasn't it?" Ivo asked. "Yes, it seems like you've gone from drinking one man's Kool-aide, to drinking a woman's Kool-aide. I'm going to lure Superwoman and her Super Friends out of hiding and I'm going to do the job that Lex Luthor couldn't do."

Caitlin looked at him.

"So, what do you want me to do, kidnap Lois Lane?" Caitlin asked bitingly.

"Don't be absurd, that's cliché," Ivo said. "It turns out she isn't even on your trail, but the other nosy reporter is. So, maybe you should do something about it, Killer Frost. If you do this one thing, I'll give you the cure and you'll be able to walk away."

"Am I supposed to believe you?" Caitlin asked.

"Believe what you want," Ivo said. "And while you could easily kill me, you'll be trapped like that forever, Killer Frost. It's getting harder to sustain those urges. You need body heat to keep a normal form like a vampire needs blood or like a Kryptonian needs yellow solar energy to sustain their powers. It's a mania and you're slipping further. Embrace it, Let it Go, Let it Go, Let it Go!"

Ivo sang the last part, almost mockingly and laughed.

"I don't even know where she is."

"Yes, she's difficult to track down, but a friend of mine was able to help," Ivo said. He handed the address to Caitlin. "Remember, your fate is in your hands. But if you fail, I'm sure that you're used to disappointment."

* * *

Chloe sat at her computer at the apartment while Kara was on her way to Gotham City. She was cross referencing a few things, "Well, the fact that you know for a fact that Caitlin Snow is Killer Frost….."

"You know, you shouldn't call her that," Kara said in annoyance. "She technically didn't kill anyone yet."

"Yet," Chloe confirmed. She knew for a fact how those powers could warp a person's mind and their perception. "It wasn't from the particle accelerator explosion though, there was an accident in her lab that caused this."

"Accident or sabotage?" Kara asked. That was a pretty good question and Kara pushed forward, "She's most certainly working with someone, and they're having her steal the diamonds. For what purpose, I don't honestly know."

"A name like Snow….well it's a self-fulfilling prophecy of sort with a name like that," Chloe said. She reclined herself on the chair and looked up the information. "Nothing much here other than the accident. She's had a rough life…..don't I ever know the feeling."

"I know that you know the feeling," Kara said, frowning. "Her powers….they're like some kind of heat vampire powers. I felt them drain me, but the sun replenished my powers as fast as she drained me."

"So, if I ever run into her, don't let her touch me, got it," Chloe said. She closed her eyes and there was a knock on the door. Chloe paused and answered, "Kara, I'll call you back."

Lois, Claire, Kara, and Lana were the only four people that knew that she lived here. With Kara being in Gotham, Claire in Smallville, and Lana in Europe, it could only be Lois.

Chloe opened the door and saw Caitlin Snow standing there at the door. That wasn't Lois.

"Chloe Sullivan?" Caitlin asked.

"Yes….you're….." Chloe said. She stammered in response.

"Yes, I am," Caitlin said. She felt the urge return stronger than ever and hoped that this woman would not cause any trouble. This situation was already bad enough as it is. She continued in a pleading voice, "Please don't run, just follow me. You don't want me to touch you. If you try and get away and I grab you, you might not survive, it's getting worse, next time I might not let go until you're…..beyond hope."

Chloe could see the terror in her eyes and nodded. She made a subtle swipe of her watch button sending a signal to Kara.

"You're going to have to drive, I'll be in the back," Caitlin said. "It's for your own protection; I'll tell you where to go."

Chloe nodded and walked to her apartment, casually, where a van was parked outside. She saw Caitlin flinching and shaking her, almost holding herself back from draining Chloe's body heat.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on June 25** **th** **, 2015.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Cold Case Part Two.**

* * *

Kara made her way to Arkham Asylum. The frustrations she had to undergo to even come here. She manged to pull a few strings to even make this visit happen. She shook her head when she arrived outside of the Asylum with a frown on her face, shaking her head as she did.

The guards were something that she had to deal with and it was something that Barbara warned her about. Some of the inmates heckled her when she walked past. Kara held her head up rather high and looked extremely proud. She wasn't going to be detracted no matter what. She approached the matter with all of the dignity and pride one would expect from someone like her. Shaking her head, Kara stepped forward down the hallway.

"You know, are you even sure he'll help you with the matter?" Barbara asked. "He tends to be….well he's not completely bad, but he can be a bit distant. And cold, no pun intended. His only focus tends to be on his wife, after he got revenge on the man that he's held personally responsible for his condition."

"Yes, Barbara, I know, I realize that," Kara responded. Her frown grew deeper when she shook her head. "But, do we have many other options? I don't want to leave the poor girl to rot in the cold."

Kara walked passed a cell at the edge of the block that was completely empty. Come to think of it, it was kind of unsettling the fact that she was being allowed in the Asylum pretty much unsupervised with all of the lunatics on the loose. That was just how things had been done in Gotham City.

She crossed a passing billboard that bragged there hadn't been a breakout for the past nine days. She wasn't sure that was anything to brag about.

"Remember when you're in all of the insanity, just tell yourself that it's Gotham and here it's perfectly normal," Barbara informed her.

"Right," Kara said. "I'll remember that, Barbara."

She crossed the area at the cell and he could see a bald pale man who was hunched over a table. He wore a collar on his neck. The cell he looked to be cold. One could see the man's breath in the air.

"Doctor Fries?" Kara asked.

Fries looked up, rather surprised, before he inquired, "A visitor?"

There had been no visitors since he had been put here. No friends, no family, not his old colleagues, they have all washed their hands of him. He was left alone to continue his research in Arkham. It was much safer for him to be in there, then out there. He was set up with this amazing laboratory, courtesy of the Wayne Foundation to continue his work to save his wife, who had been preserved because of her terminal illness.

He took sight of the person that he had to visit and acknowledged her presence, "Ah, yes Supergirl. I wonder what brings you to Arkham of all places. Certainly this is a long way from Metropolis. I wonder why anyone would willingly enter Gotham."

He spoke in a fairly robotic tone, detached from emotion. Emotions grew rather cold within him ever since the accident that afflicted his wife.

"Doctor Fries, I need your help," Kara admitted. She frowned when she looked at him. "It has to do with….."

"You want my insight on the ice attacks in Metropolis?" Fries asked. Kara wordlessly nodded. "I'm afraid that I cannot help you, but I can tell you one thing, this does not seem to be the handiwork of the usual suspects."

Kara figured she had better clue him in that she was a step ahead with this.

"I know who is behind this," Kara said.

"Yes, they're calling her Killer Frost, which means there is a new name on the table," Fries answered.

"She's…her name is Caitlin Snow, she's a scientist at STAR Labs," Kara said.

"Yes, I've heard of her," Fries said. "She has been studying ways to cause people to thrive in colder temperatures and also to use the intense cold for healing and reverse the effects of cold related ailments. I had followed her work, in the hopes that it might bear some fruit in helping with my own mission. My beloved Nora continues to linger and nothing that I have done seems to work. Could you describe Doctor Snow's condition to me?

Fries paused for a moment and allowed the girl to explain what the condition of the STAR Labs scientist was. He took a few moments to mull it over in his mind and he nodded in response.

"Yes," Fries responded. "Her condition is far less advanced than the one that I currently experience. And her affliction is different in many ways. She appears to need body heat to sustain a more normal form and the madness is causing her mind to warp. It appears that her physical and mental state will deteriorate fast if not cured."

"I have her serum," Kara said. She looked towards him.

"Yes, I have spoken with Doctor Snow previously, before the accident and she showed me the formula for the serum she created," Fries said. He took over the sample to the mini-lab after Kara handed it to him.

Again, Kara was kind of weirded out by the fact she was able to pass things to inmates in Arkham Asylum without any kind of supervision. Fries walked over and took a look over the serum.

There was a pause of a couple of moments, even though it seemed a fair deal longer by the time Fries got done. He turned around to face Kara, his face growing into a frown.

"This is the same exact serum, although it is only a temporary fix and not a cure to Caitlin Snow's affliction," Fries informed her. Kara's face fell. "Fortunately, I have made a cure based off of her work for my affliction that wasn't strong enough. It gave me a few moments of normality, but my condition returned worse than ever."

Fries handed Kara the cure.

"Take your shot wisely," Fries said. "I can tell that you would do anything to help her, even taking the risk that this cure might not work."

"What kind of risk is there?" Kara asked. She knew that she was going to regret asking this question, but she had to ask it anyway. That was just the type of person that she was.

She could hear a distress signal coming from Chloe's watch. That caused her to stand up.

"I have to go," Kara said.

Fries could see the heroine leave as quickly as she appeared. He might have been cold emotionally, but he did feel something akin to regret. Regret he didn't tell her that the serum had just as much as a chance of curing her, rather than killing her.

"I do wish that I can still feel excitement, because that was my excitement for this day," Fries said.

He returned back to his work as casually as he could be. Perhaps one day there would be hope for Nora and for him.

* * *

"Okay, fine, I'll do what you ask," Chloe said. She hoped that Kara would pick up the signal. "Just don't lose her cool."

She could feel Caitlin's icy gaze on her neck and she realized that she might have not said the best thing. Chloe shook her head in response and frowned. She was in the back the refrigerated van, her hands on the other side of the glass. It was a means not to hurt Chloe. She didn't want to hurt anyone, not really. That was the furthest thing from her mind, and if she could help it, she would not hurt her.

"Okay, that was the worst choice of words….." Chloe said. "So, why…why me of all people?"

"Your friend was asking too many questions," Caitlin explained to her. She didn't say much more than that. "Just make a right at the next street."

Chloe hated things being awkward and silent. She didn't dare move her hand to turn on the radio, fearing that she was dealing with a woman that was a ticking time bomb and she could go off. Each movement was closer to setting her off than ever before. Chloe wondered if she dare breathe without any kind of trouble. Her hands shook when she placed them on the wheel. Her mind was going to some really bad places.

"You know, you can get some help," Chloe said.

"Yes, and how would I get that help?" Caitlin asked. "Would you send me to Belle Reve or Arkham, to be used as a lab rat? I can't even have a normal life…"

"Maybe you didn't want a normal life," Chloe offered her.

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT I WANT!" Caitlin yelled. She clenched her fists together and mentally counted to ten.

The body heat Chloe Sullivan gave off was so enticing. She felt herself getting more moody. Caitlin now knew what a junky that had been deprived of her fix felt like. She couldn't hold herself back any longer. She needed a piece of that and she needed it now.

"You know, this is a road….that you don't want to go down," Chloe said. "Whoever is blackmailing you to do this, they aren't going to help you. They're going to keep using you as a pawn. Like a lab rat as you said."

"Please, be quiet," Caitlin said. She could feel a throbbing headache. She placed her hands on the cool wall.

Breath in, breath out, deep breathing, calm down, don't give into the temptation, because there would be no turning back.

"You're a respected scientist," Chloe said. "You shouldn't be a cold blooded murderer."

"Maybe my heart being turned to ice is a good thing," Caitlin said. Her frown grew even more prominent if that was possible. "Those who I lost will no longer hurt me."

"Who is doing…"

Chloe slammed on the brakes suddenly. That caused Caitlin to nearly get launched from the back of the van into the front of it. Thankfully the thick window was there to prevent her from crashing completely through.

"What did you do that for?" Caitlin asked. She looked up and saw that Supergirl was hovering right by their side.

The door of the van was ripped open. Chloe was picked up and super sped completely out.

Caitlin got out of the van. Her fingers twitched. There were people on the street that were moving around to see the source of the wreck.

"Please, don't make me do this," she breathed.

"Caitlin, come with me, I can…"

Caitlin stepped back, fearful. She caused the air to warp around her. This was something that her powers never did before. She was creating a one woman polar vortex around her. The citizens screamed because of the unexpected snowstorm that rose around them.

Supergirl closed her eyes. She braced herself for the next impact. She had to fly through snow and ice before, so this wasn't something that she was afraid of doing. She pushed herself forward. There was a moment where she thought that she had been trapped in the midst of this intense storm.

Somehow, she pushed through. It was barely, but she pushed through. Her heart raced quicker, and she pushed forward a little bit closer. Her mind was running through several different directions when she kept up her path to the edge.

Kara groaned when Caitlin disappeared into the white out. She shifted focus to her X-Ray vision and scanned the area around the snow.

She found her outline in the white out and Kara flew forward. She used her heat vision to break through the ice and grabbed Caitlin, pushing her down onto the ground. She gently pinned her to the ground.

Caitlin could feel Kara's body heat absorb into her body. It was like a hit of her drug of choice when it filled her body. She felt tingles of excitement all the way down her spine, from the tips of her toes all the way to the edge of her ears.

"Thanks," Caitlin said in a gracious voice. Her voice perked up instantly. "I needed that."

"I don't want to hurt you," Kara warned her. She could feel a chill coming through her body and she realized that Caitlin's powers blocked out the sun partially. Her reserves were at a low. Kara straddled her down on the ground. "I don't want to hurt you, but you're out of control. And if you put innocent people in danger, I'll have no choice."

"I'm in control now!" Caitlin yelled.

She freaked out and knocked Kara off of her. She sent a fairly weakened Supergirl flying backward with a huge gust of wind.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" Caitlin asked. She could see Supergirl's eyes shut. "I didn't….I didn't….oh God."

Caitlin was jerked out of her emo trip by the sounds of the Special Crimes Unit turning up. One of them pointed a gun at her. "Freeze!"

"Seriously?"

Caitlin's hands started to shake back and forth. She couldn't control herself, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to. Her mind was a muddled mess of emotions.

She blasted two of the nearest cops and pretty much froze them, draining of them of their body heat. That caused them to fall to the ground.

It created the unfortunate hostage situation and left Supergirl with a sadistic choice. She could either go after Caitlin or stay with the hostages. The hostages came first and she prepared to defrost them. It gave the woman who they were calling Killer Frost a chance to escape.

* * *

"I think the cat's out of the bag with Caitlin Snow and Killer F…our icy friend being one and the same," Chloe said. "The question is, where did she go?"

"That's a good question," Kara said after a moment's thought.

The two of them were in the Fortress, and Kara and Lara were analyzing the serum that Doctor Fries gave her, along with the sample of Caitlin's blood that she acquired.

"Actually the better question is, how did she find me?" Chloe asked. "I'm not exactly listed in the yellow pages. You, Claire, Lana, and Lois are the only ones who know where I am."

"Given how you find addresses that shouldn't be listed all of the time, it goes without saying that someone did that to you," Kara said. She leaned back.

Chloe groaned.

"Great, someone pulled a me on me, that's pretty damn ironic," Chloe said. She frowned and corrected herself. "Actually that's more poetic than ironic when you come to think about it, but…..never mind that."

"Yes, never mind that," Kara agreed. She could see Chloe sitting down.

"I'm fine, thanks you," Chloe said. "For someone who has ice powers, Doctor Snow was coming close to losing her cool with me."

"Well, you can be an acquired taste for some people," Kara said.

"Not sure whether to be insulted or flattered," Chloe muttered. She could see Kara sighing. Kara looked at the computer. Chloe placed her hands on the back of Kara's neck. She whispered in her ear, "So, you're pretty stressed out, aren't you?"

Kara looked towards Chloe. Chloe didn't really blink at this look directed at her from Kara. It was the second frostiest look that she had gotten all day and for that, Kara should be extremely proud because of that.

"It's just Claire and her attitude, and….the fact I seem to be hitting a stumbling block as it regards to restoring her powers," Kara said. She sighed deeply. She didn't know what to do and at this point, she felt like she was just going around in circles. "And we both know the problem regarding….."

"Yes, without the piece of gold Kryptonite, there's no way you can restore Claire's powers completely," Chloe said.

"Maybe a blood transfusion would work," Kara said. She frowned in response. "But it might be only temporary at best."

"It is only temporary at best," Lara confirmed for her. Kara turned towards her aunt and when Lara saw her niece had her full attention, she continued, "Claire's problems are caused by her skin's inability to properly transmute yellow solar radiation to channel her gifts. It's like she's being bombarded by the red sun constantly, which renders her powerless. That's just the best example I can give you."

"Okay, that's a no go," Kara said. "And about this serum?"

"It should work in theory, but there are risks and complications that I must warn you about," Lara said.

Kara frowned. There were always risks and complications regarding anything. She could feel Chloe's hands on the back of her neck, slowly rubbing it. She jolted up and Chloe paused.

"Sorry, you just seemed tense," Chloe said.

"I didn't tell you to stop," Kara said. Chloe was rather surprised, but she rolled with it. She kept massaging the back of Kara's neck. Kara closed her eyes for ten seconds to mentally return herself to the conversation. "What kind of complications?"

"There is an eighty five percent chance that it will stabilize her powers," Lara said. "She'll be able to not be dependent on the body heat."

"And the other fifteen percent?" Kara asked. She knew that she was going to regret asking this, but full disclosure and all of that.

"It may kill her," Lara informed Kara.

Kara whistled, that wasn't good odds. She thought about that for a few seconds. Knowing what she knew, she knew that Claire wouldn't have taken the chance.

It hit her that Kara was more willing to bend some rules that her cousin never dared to do so.

"If I don't give her the serum, there's a chance that she could die or become insane as well," Kara said. She felt herself backed up against the wall. She was reaching the point where she honestly had no idea what she wanted to do.

"This is pretty much damned if you do, damned if you don't, isn't it?" Chloe asked her.

"More or less," Kara agreed. She frowned and decided what she was going to do. "I'm going to need to take you back to the Kent Farm, so you can hang out there for a while. And now I'm going to track down Caitlin."

"How do you know where to look?" Chloe asked.

"Give me some credit," Kara said. "I tagged her with a tracer when I pinned her down to the ground. Barbara is keeping a close watch on it for me while I analyze the antidote."

"You're scarily prepared, you know that?" Chloe asked. She didn't know whether to find Kara amazing or scary right now.

She settled for amazingly scary. That was a nice happy medium between the two she thought.

Chloe could feel herself scooped up in Kara's arms like she was taking her over the threshold. She was sped off in the opposite direction towards the Kent Farm.

Seconds later, Kara was gone, and Chloe was looking at Martha, who was casually making dinner.

"Well, Chloe, sit down and make yourself at home," Martha said.

Chloe was almost glad that Claire wasn't here. Not that she didn't want to see her, but Chloe didn't want to explain why she was here.

Plus, she got more of her fair share of the Claire Kent angst one woman pity party of doom when she was in high school.

* * *

Caitlin rushed into Ivo's lab. She landed down onto the ground knees first and was on the verge a total breakdown.

"I can't handle this anymore, you need you change me or kill me!" Caitlin yelled. Her heart was racing.

The rush from absorbing Supergirl's body heat wore off.

"You dare come back in here in the state that you're in!" Ivo thundered. He looked at Caitlin. She looked confused. "You dare come back here, with a tracker on your body."

"What?" Caitlin asked. "I didn't know….."

One of Ivo's drones swiped the tracker off of her. Caitlin stepped back and shook her head.

"You ran into Supergirl and you should have checked yourself," Ivo said. He shook his head, almost in disappointment. "You should know anyone who hangs around a Bat that much is going to pick up a few of their bad habits!"

Ivo closed his eyes and muttered underneath his breath. It was just like he was trying to figure the best way to deal with this situation. He was trying not to lose his mind.

"If you had just attacked Miss Sullivan and froze her to send the message like you asked, none of this would have happened," Ivo said. "And after my good friend, Enigma, went to all the trouble to procure her address, this is how you handle it"

"I'm not a killer, "Caitlin said. Her heart pounded harder against her rib cage. "Maybe I should be though."

Caitlin reached forward and Ivo took a casually step back. "If you kill me now, you're done, beyond hope."

"It seems like that I'm beyond hope now," Caitlin said.

Before she could do anything, there was a smash of glass. Batgirl dropped down to the ground, perched in front of them. Wondergirl followed her, dropping down to the ground. Supergirl followed as well.

"Professor Ivo, we should have known," Batgirl said looking at the man. "So, did you build another stupid android?"

"The new and improved AMAZO is more than some stupid android, as you and your little caped friends will find out soon," Ivo said. His eyes flashed with absolute madness and one could see the pure insanity going to them. He turned towards her. "Killer Frost, take them….."

Kara took advantage of the distraction and she shot a dart right at Caitlin's neck. It stuck her in the side of her neck.

The chemical agent flowed through her body. Her fingers twitched and her body did an insane looking two step motion.

Caitlin fell back onto the ground. The dark haired woman closed her eyes, shuddering in response. Kara was up over the top of her.

She felt more normal than she did and Kara felt a pulse. She felt a sigh of relief.

Ivo was clapping slowly and casually, "Very well, very good, you stabilized her powers."

"And now it's your turn!" Supergirl yelled. Ivo raised his eyebrow.

"If you want something done right, you need to do it yourself," Ivo said. "You're about to meet your end, presenting the new and improved AMAZO!"

A robot appeared in front of them. Kara sighed when she put her hands on her hips and shook her head.

"Again, with this, really, Ivo?" Kara asked.

"Stand back, I've got this one," Barbara said. She flicked a silver disc from her belt and stuck it into the chest of the robot.

An energy pulse ruptured through the android and caused it to rock it's arms back and forth. It cycled through the powers Ivo downloaded from the hard drive.

"No, no, no, no!" Ivo bellowed.

He couldn't believe this. His android's was frozen in place and would explode with the simplest of touches and there was nothing he could do about it.

The android exploded after Kara put her fist through it, vibrating it through the core to do the rest of the damage Barbara did. The android exploded, sending oil flying everywhere that saturated the girls.

"Well, that was oddly anti-climatic," Kara said.

Donna's lips curled into an obvious pout that was obvious. She pouted, "You think that was anti-climatic? I didn't get to do anything!"

Kara patted Donna on the back of the head and that caused her frown to grow deeper. She moved over and grabbed Ivo, ripping his arm in the process.

"Android?" Barbara asked. Kara nodded. "Somehow, I knew that."

"Yes, you should have figured that out," Kara answered.

She bent down to check on Caitlin. They would have needed to get her out to some medical attention as soon as possible. She had been through a rough one she did. Thankfully, the scientist was pretty much out of the woods. Caitlin got to her feet, shivering. She felt cold and then she felt warmth.

"Don't worry, I got you," Kara said. She wrapped her arms tightly around her. "The fact you're not dead is a good sign that the antidote is working like it should."

Caitlin didn't know whether to be pleased or concerned by how blasé Kara was acting. She settled for a smile. She passed out with a weak. "Thank you"

Her head was slumped on Kara's shoulder when she escorted her out of the lab.

* * *

There were a group of doctors hovering over Caitlin and checking over her vitals, "Her vitals are normal, but she's extremely weak."

"What about her powers?" a voice asked from the side, a female.

"It's too soon to tell whether they'll return, but Supergirl has assured us that the antidote that she gave has stabilized her," the lead doctor said.

"Then we should trust her if she said so and the test collaborated," the woman in question responded.

Kara was waiting outside. She got the news of Caitlin's clean bill of health and there was honestly not much that she could do at this point. With a heavy heart, she returned back to Smallville.

She turned up at the door and saw Chloe sitting at the kitchen table, chatting with Martha.

"So, everything's okay?" Chloe asked her.

"Yes, everything's fine, she's in good hands now," Kara said. She just hoped that she didn't have any relapses. Kara had a sense what happened was a trigger to some kind of meta gene that activated when the accident occurred. "How are you doing, Martha?"

"Fine, Kara," Martha said.

"Is Claire around?" Kara asked.

"She decided to take a bit of a walk, in fact she's coming back right now," Martha said.

"Send her my regards, and tell her that I'll be back to get her this morning," Kara said. She needed to make sure Chloe was fine.

"I understand perfectly, Kara," Martha said. "It should really do her some good to have some time away from Metropolis."

Martha knew that Claire returned to the field that she was found in, to reflect. Who knew that a lot of things happened in that field that pretty much started it all.

"So, are you ready, citizen?" Kara asked.

"You've been watching too many super hero shows from 1966," Chloe said, shaking her head. She extended her arm out and Kara wrapped her arm around her.

The two of them shot off in the opposite direction and the next thing they knew, they landed outside of Chloe's apartment.

"It's been a really stressful day, couple of days," Chloe said. She looked at Kara who eyed her with a smile. "Okay, fine, it's been a really stressful couple of weeks, are you happy?"

"Not completely," Kara admitted. "But I'll accept it."

"I owe you, big time," Chloe said.

She leaned forward, ruled by some animal instinct, an impulse if you will. Her lips touched Kara's in response and Kara returned fire with an intense kiss of her own. Their tongues clashed together for the ultimate domination.

Chloe pulled back from her, and Kara held on in. "I'm….."

"Don't sweat it," Kara said. She gripped Chloe's tight ass through her pants. "You're not the first girl I've kissed."

"Donna and Barbara?" Chloe asked.

Kara grinned in confirmation, "For starters, yes."

"Looks like your starting to build your own harem," Chloe joked. Kara raised her eyebrow. "Not that's a bad thing, but….."

Kara smiled and sat down on the bed in Chloe's bedroom. She motioned for Chloe to join her. "You said that you wanted to thank me, didn't you?"

Chloe got the message loud and clear. She dropped to her knees and let instincts take her the rest of the way.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on 6/30/2015.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Matter of Perspective.**

* * *

Kara closed the door of the car that she was driving. She exited the car and walked towards where she was going. Donna was already there waiting for her. Kara smiled when she acknowledge Donna.

"So, how are you doing today?" Kara asked her.

"I'm fine," Donna said. She shrugged her shoulders and looked towards Kara extremely seriously. "This has been a really hectic last couple of weeks though, hasn't it?"

Kara shook her head. Donna was giving the understatement to end all understatements, honestly. To be perfectly blunt, this had been a really hectic last couple of weeks to be honest and Kara didn't even know where to begin with how hectic things had been. Intergang was causing them a lot of trouble, there was the usual amount pf petty crime in Metropolis that was causing them fits. The recent incident involving Ivo and his android, and with Ivo turning out to be an android had been an interesting diversion from this entire mess.

So, it had been just a bit hectic.

Donna looked at Kara, and there was a momentary grin on her face, "So, I take it that you're really glad for any downtime that you can get these days?"

Kara nodded her head, she honestly appreciated the downtime. Those were moments that were few and far between. With a heavy heart and a smile on her face, she walked side by side with Donna. The two of them were set to meet Donna's sister and that was going to prove to be a very interesting meeting as usual.

They didn't need to walk for too long. She was already waiting for them outside of the café. She was a tall woman who stood out on the crowd. Kara wasn't short by any means and neither was Donna, but Diana towered over them. She wore a pair of stylish sunglasses, a black tank top which fit over her breasts quite nicely, and a pair of jeans.

"Diana, hi!" Kara shouted. She threw her arms around her in a hug, which Diana returned.

Diana released the hug, and greeted the younger girl with a smile.

"It's been too long, hasn't it?" Diana asked.

"How have you been doing, Diana?" Kara asked.

Diana smiled back at Kara and waved her off, "You know me, I'm trying to do the best job that I can at keeping busy. How about you?"

"Oh, you know how I am, there's never a dull moment around Metropolis," Kara said. Diana turned her attention to her sister.

"So, how have you been doing with your studies, Donna?"

The three of them entered the café at this point and they were about to order lunch with each other. Donna raised her eyebrow at Diana's question, but she waited until they were settled down before she told Diana.

"I don't think that you have anything to worry about with me," Donna said.

Diana frowned when she looked over her little sister, "Donna, you know that no matter what, I always worry about you."

Donna appreciated the sentiment, she honestly did. Granted, Diana could be a bit stifling, but she was a bit of a perfectionist. Given the type of expectations Diana had on her, as the heir to the Amazon throne, she couldn't blame her sister.

"Well, this is something that you honestly don't have to worry about, Diana," Donna said. "I'm doing really well in school, getting the best grades that I can even. Life couldn't be any better."

"That's good, I don't think you should be doing any better than you're very best," Diana said. That was what she expected of herself and that was what she expected of her sister as well. She turned towards Kara. "How about you Kara?"

"Well, I don't think that either of us are getting grades on the level Barbara," Kara said. Diana responded by raising her eyebrow. "But I think that we're doing pretty well, I'm able to balance school and my external activities just fine."

"That's good," Diana said. "You're doing a good thing with helping the city."

Kara could not say how much Diana's words meant to her, but they really meant a lot to her.

"I'm glad that someone thinks that," Kara said. She tried not to let the bitterness cloud her voice, although it was obvious from her tone that there was some that was almost seeping through. "Now if someone only told Claire that, we would be all good."

Diana sighed and gently placed her hand down on Kara's, "Claire is going through a rough time. Helena and I tried to talk to her, Dinah as well even though she doesn't know Claire as well as we do, but you know how things go."

"I took her to Smallville for a couple of days," Kara said. "With any hope, Martha might have had enough good long talks with her to sink something in."

It went without saying that was Kara's hope, but there was a part of her who was nervous that might not have been enough. That was far from her favorite subject.

"So, what have you been up to?" Kara asked.

"You know that I've been keeping myself busy," Diana said. "Nothing really exciting on the island, just politics and things like that."

"Oh, that's lovely," Donna said. She mimed yawning.

Diana didn't want to tell her sister that what she was dealing with was a tad more exciting than the yawn she was miming. "There's been a distinct lack of vengeful sorcerers or gods attacking the island."

"Barbara seems to believe in a god named Murphy, who causes bad things to happen if you talk too much about the good things!" Donna piped in. "Has this Murphy ever attacked the Amazons?"

Kara hid her face when she laughed. Diana looked a bit amused.

"I can't say that he has," Diana told her sister. "But, we'll be vigilante."

* * *

Claire was finally back to work, granted it was at a temporary office at the Daily Planet due to the real office being trashed thanks to Intergang, but still. She was reading the story that Chloe wrote about her encounter with Killer Frost, and how all ice themed villains seemed to have a tragic backstory.

Lois was looking over Claire's shoulder. She was oddly silent, reading the story with a raised eyebrow.

"So, what do you think?" Lois asked.

Claire didn't say anything for the longest moment. She put down the paper and picked up a cup of coffee. One of the only good things about losing her powers was that she was able to feel a nice little buzz with the coffee.

Chloe turned up at the office, for her one day at the office, even though it wasn't the real office. Calmly, Claire got up to her feet, and fully faced Chloe.

"Are you okay?" Claire asked her.

Chloe shook her head; she almost seemed amused by Claire's concern, "I'm fine; you know my life has been put in peril so many times that I should get some kind of gold watch or something with how many times my life has been put in peril."

Claire looked at Chloe like she was insane and maybe she was, just a little bit, speaking of death in such a casual manner like that. Lois cleared her throat and Chloe looked at her.

"You of all people aren't going to give me a lecture of putting myself in unnecessary danger, are you?" Chloe asked.

"Don't be absurd, I would never be that hypocritical," Lois said. It was here where she gave Claire a side long look. "I was going to ask you about Doctor Snow."

Chloe smiled, of course her cousin would be curious about that.

"I mean, I know, I didn't mean to pry, but I can't help and be a little bit curious…."

"Yeah, I know, she really wasn't a bad person, despite the fact that she kidnapped me, but she could have easily given into her impulses and killed me," Chloe said. "I think we know by now that seven times out of ten, with sudden super powers, with great power, there also comes great mental instability."

"You just got to be more careful, Chloe," Claire lectured.

That got Claire a bit of a dirty look and Chloe shook her head and snapped back, a bit sarcastically, "Yeah, because I'm really expecting some ice queen to show up at my doorstep at an address that only four people in the world know. What are the odds of that happening?"

"Ivo must have had a contact that dug up the information," Lois said. "Because, I know, Kara, Lana, Claire, or I wouldn't have told him."

"No, I wouldn't, but the real Ivo is still out there somewhere and that's what worries me," Chloe said. She brushed her fingers through her hair and sighed. "And rest assure, I'm looking into the matter of who dug up my address."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you," Claire said.

"You know, you're in a right mood today, but then again, you've been in a right mood ever since losing your powers," Chloe said.

"Just concerned about people that I care about getting themselves in danger," Claire replied. "And me not being able to do anything."

"The world is not going to end because Superwoman can't do her job," Chloe said. She turned around. If she had to go through much more Claire Kent angst, she might head off right now. Ten years of it was more than sufficient, thank you very much.

Claire was not going to have this argument, especially in public.

"Anyway, Doctor Snow is stabilized," Chloe told Lois, switching topics from Claire's angst fueled path of rage to something a bit less headache inducing. "Guess time will only tell now how much those powers stabilize."

"Yes, I guess so," Lois said. "And whether or not she wants to do good with them, bad with them, or just wants to be left alone."

"She does have the tragic villain backstory," Chloe answered. "Kara told me to give her the benefit of the doubt."

"Is that because Kara wants to add her to her collection?" Lois asked.

"What collection?" Claire asked when she downed her cup of coffee.

"Never mind, Smallville, I'll explain it to you when you get older," Lois said, patting her girlfriend on the head in a slightly patronizing manner.

Claire was about ready to say something, but her cell went off. It was a text message and Kara wanted to meet her about something. She gave her directions.

It was just as well because Claire needed to have a word with Kara.

* * *

Kara leaned against the wall of the café. She was waiting for Claire. Granted, it wasn't like Claire could speed over her anymore and she shouldn't in her secret identity.

The sounds of a car pulling up and Claire getting out of said car was music to Kara's ears. Kara smiled when Claire exited the car and walked towards Kara.

"So, you wanted to see me?" Claire asked.

Kara didn't really like the coolness in her cousin's voice and she wondered what she did wrong. Then again, Kara knew exactly what she did wrong, and she didn't care that she was doing it wrong. It was like dealing with a stubborn mule who refused to get out of the ditch.

"There's someone that wants to talk to you," Kara said. She grabbed Claire gently by her good hand and led her over.

Claire figured that she didn't have much of any choice in the matter, given how persistent Kara was being. She frowned when she was lead over.

Donna and Diana were sitting behind the table. Diana got up to her feet and smiled when she met her old friend and sometimes lover, "Hello, Claire."

Claire walked over and her friend gave her a hug. Given that she knew how busy Diana was, she wondered what brought her here of all days.

"So, what brings you to town, Diana?" Claire asked. She was calm. There was a bit of a pause so Claire could order something to eat. Even though she wasn't really hungry, she could hear her mother's voice in her head telling her that she had to eat something.

"I figured that I needed a vacation from Paradise," Diana said. One could think that the entire statement might have been absurd, but given the situation that she and her mother had been in as of late, it was more apt. "And I wanted to check on a couple of people….so how are you holding up?"

"Fine," Claire said.

That caused Diana to raise her eyebrow. She saw right through Claire's bullshit.

"Really, Clara, because you don't sound fine?"

Claire shook her head. "Well, it's just something that I have to deal with just fine."

Kara and Donna met eyes with each other, it was obvious that Diana wasn't going to back down from Claire as easily as some might. And Claire was going to dig her heels into the ground even further. This was going to be to be an interesting clash of wills.

"Claire, you need to talk about these things, because it will help you reconcile them," Diana said. She was gentle when she spoke, but at the same time, she was firm.

"It's just killing me alright," Claire said. She tried not to raise her voice. Kara calmly placed a device underneath the table that would cause anyone to hear background static if they tried to listen in on their conversation. "Intergang is running ragged around the city, and I can't even do anything. And….well this just proves that I can't."

Diana really wished that she had been around sooner to talk to Claire. It was obvious that she had been beating herself up about this.

"I think that you're looking at this from a limited perspective, Clara," Diana said. "And I think that Kara is doing the best that she can to keep things under control."

"She shouldn't….she shouldn't have to," Claire said.

"Did you put Kryptonite to my head and force me to put on the cape?" Kara asked. Claire blinked and she shook her head slowly. "No, that's something that I chose to do….but you might be able to get your powers back, sooner than we think."

Claire was intrigued, but at the same time skeptical. Diana raised her eyebrow.

"I'm not certain it will work though," Kara admitted. "Lara and I discussed it, but given that we don't have any better options, it's worth a shot, isn't it?"

"What is it?" Claire asked. She didn't like being left out in the dark, especially when it is something that could cause her powers to get renewed.

"Given that we're of the same blood and I have the powers still, we were thinking a blood transfusion," Kara said.

Claire pondered that for a few seconds and shook her head. She was incredulous when she questioned Kara, "Come on, do you think that the solution would be that easy?"

Kara blinked and sighed, "No, there's a pretty good chance that the solution wouldn't be that easy at all. But, you got to admit, it's worth a shot, isn't it?"

Claire was skeptical for a little bit.

"I know that there's a chance that the gold Kryptonite caused corruption with your powers that's skin deep, but….what if we can create a little spark that could boost your powers somehow," Kara said. She reached over and placed her hand gently on Claire's. "Just think about it."

"Well, you do have a point, and it's better than nothing," Claire conceded. She didn't want to get her hopes up. Sighing, Claire turned to Diana. "So what have you been up to?"

The fact Claire considered something like that made Kara happy. That was a step towards progression. Whether or not it would work is another matter entirely.

Still, progress was progress, and Kara appreciated that.

* * *

Bruno Mannheim was in a really bad mood given what happened regarding Intergang as of late. He thought by now that he would be the sole and only kingpin of Metropolis, but things had gone south.

If it was just with Supergirl, that was one thing. He had the tools to take her down. He just wished that he had the men who had been smart enough to take a good enough shot at her when she had a chance.

"Another shipment lost because of these grade school drop outs," Mannheim cursed. He crushed the paper in his hand.

Mannheim dropped the ball of paper on his desk and smoothed it out. It was a newspaper article that was written by that snoopy bitch Lois Lane. God, how Mannheim hated her and wanted her to pay.

"Thought that you got the hint when we showed up at your office door and trashed half of the planet," Mannheim said. He pounded his fist roughly against the desk.

Granted, he lost more from that operation. Supergirl and her little friends were able to trash some of their weapons, put some of his men behind bars. Mannheim knew that their day of reckoning was coming, but as long as the press was ripping into him and causing him problems, there was going to be a big problem.

He was losing respect with the other factions of Intergang. Lane teed off on him on a daily basis, with Sullivan and Kent getting in their potshots when necessary. It made Bruno Mannheim look like a punk and if there was one thing that Bruno Mannheim hated, was looking like a bunk.

"The three of them, they stuck their fucking noses in where they're not welcomed for the last time," Mannheim said. He cracked his knuckles, scowling extremely deeply. "They're going to all pay for what they've done."

Mannheim knew that Edge wouldn't be in prison forever. He was still calling some of the shots and he was no doubt using Mannheim's daily blunders that were being thrown in his face at the paper to plot his revenge.

He reached into his desk drawer and took out a bottle of medication. He downed two of the pills and reached over into the cabinet, and downed it with a drink as well. Mannheim felt like he was in a state of bliss, with a nice little pain pills cocktail mixed with rum.

Now that his mind was focused, he could focus on some of the finer things in life. Namely, popping a pair of really snoopy reporters off.

Mannheim wasn't an idiot. He knew that such a job required a professional touch and there was no way that his boys would be able to be close to doing it.

"Guess, I'm going to have to make some calls," Mannheim grumbled.

Mannheim had some big plans and he needed to make a statement. At least one of the reporters who mocked him so much ending up dead would be the perfect thing.

He walked past a group of his men who were playing cards at the table.

"Spread the word, there's going to be a contract out on the heads of Chloe Sullivan, Claire Kent, and Lois Lane," Mannheim informed. He was in a sour mood. "I've been reading their fucking shit for way too long, and I'm not going to take it any more."

"Boss, you want us to take them out?" one of the goons asked.

"Please, don't make me bust a gut laughing," Mannheim said. He looked at the goon. "You mooks couldn't even sneeze without Supergirl beating you up. I'm leaving this in the hands of a professional, but…hey maybe one of you will get lucky. Just don't get yourself beaten up too badly or something."

Mannheim had to have all of Intergang in the palm of his hands. The gang lord wanted to become the Kingpin of Metropolis so badly. If he had Metropolis, he could work his way down the eastern seaboard and then beyond that point.

The man had big plans, but he had one problem in front of him. People thought that he was a punk and therefore the papers talked about his constant failures against Supergirl. One teeny bopper bitch and her friends weren't going to take him down.

Mannheim dialed up on the phone, "Yeah, I need someone who is going to make sure Lane goes down and never wakes up."

The man known as Ugly smiled which somehow made him look even more ghastly in response.

* * *

"Okay let's get out of here, before….." one of the robbers who had just knocked off a convenience store said. He cringed when he could see someone come up after him, faster than a speeding bullet.

"Don't yap, let's move!" another robber shouted. They threw themselves in the back of the car, where a third man was waiting for them. He was their driver. "Don't just wait for us to buckle up, put the pedal to the metal!"

The driver drove out of there, peeling rubber. He took out a mailbox and a fire hydrant when they drove down the street.

Kara was up above them, waiting for the right angle to safely cut them off. She was really in a bit better mood than she normally was chasing a pair of thugs down the streets of Metropolis.

She could hear that they had a poor taste of radio personalities.

"Oh, are we supposed to coddle the poor super villainess because she's a chick?" the droning tones of Leslie Willis, better known as Livewire, stated over the radio station. "Come on, get real here people. Supergirl is going to put us all in danger about as much as her older counterpart is. Caitlin Snow could have murdered people with her powers and I don't want to hear all of this nonsense about how she had a bad life. If you ask me, she should be locked up in Arkham with the rest of the loonies, but she gets a room in Metropolis General, funded by STAR Labs, so she could get cured. You should put down any criminal like that, if you ask me!"

"No one asked you," Kara said through gritted teeth.

She wanted to smash these people more than anything because of the fact that she would never have to listen to Livewire.

Kara was about ready to make her move, but she saw something whizzing past her ear that stopped her.

An arrow shot against the tire of the car and took it out. The back tire was blown out from the car and it was sent spiraling out of control.

A third arrow was sent through the windshield, shattering it, and causing glass to fly everywhere.

Kara could see that the car was being sent towards an incoming school bus. She shot in front of the car and caught it.

She dug her heels into the ground and it skidded to a stop just barely.

Kara collapsed down to the ground and she looked up. The robbers had been disabled. The wreck caused them to be severely injured on impact and it was obvious that their injuries might be fatal if not treated soon enough.

She flagged an ambulance down.

"There are three men in that car, they're armed, but they shouldn't pose a problem," Kara said. The EMT nodded when they moved over.

Kara used her heat vision to allow them easier access.

"Thanks a lot Supergirl!" one of the EMTs cheered.

Kara smiled, it was honestly nothing, all and all, it was a day's work for her. She kicked up into the sky and went up, up, and away.

There was no sign of the mysterious archer. She got down and found one of the broken arrows on the ground. The original Green Arrow might be dead, but someone was picking up his mantle.

Kara wanted to find out who and most importantly why.

"Barbara, you're not going to believe this," Kara said. "The Green Arrow is back in town."

"Seriously?" Barbara asked. "But he's…he's kind of dead, isn't he?"

"Yes, but we have a new archer," Kara said. She looked at the arrow. "It's a different make of arrow then we were used to."

Kara was going to find out the answers to her burning questions because she hated having them unanswered. The arrow might hopefully lead her somewhere.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on July 4** **th** **, 2015.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: House of Cards Part One.**

* * *

Kara made her way to the apartment Claire and Lois shared, where she was meeting with Donna and Barbara. Claire and Lois were currently out of town on some sort of assignment and Claire asked her to keep an eye on their apartment, so it didn't get trashed or something. She told her not to have people over, but Lois assured her it was okay.

Given the way that her cousin was acting as of late, Kara was going to go with what Lois was saying. That was just her opinion right now. She walked over wordlessly and she sat down, placing a broken arrow down on the table. Kara studied it intently, almost obsessively.

"You've got nothing, do you?" Donna asked her.

Kara turned towards Barbara and shook her head. The young Amazon showed interest in the arrow, but not as much as Barbara and Kara who studied it.

Barbara and Donna looked at the arrow. Neither girl said anything for a few minutes, which was always a wondrous thing when no one decided to talk about it. It was almost like they were trying to allow the other girls to say their piece.

Finally, Barbara was the one that decided to break the silence. "So the rumors of the demise of our mysterious archer have been grandly exaggerated?

"I don't know," Kara said, with a frown.

"Really, we waited that long for you to make that revelation," Donna said. "I don't know either, but still, we were kind of hoping that you did."

It was obvious that Oliver Queen was dead and buried, and it was a nasty death. Given the type of people he ran into, he was fighting a race against time where he was going to lose extremely badly before too long.

"There's something really weird going on here, you know," Donna replied. Kara corked her eyebrow and Donna looked really sheepish. "I know, I don't say."

Barbara was parked in front of a laptop. She was hastily searching for any bit of information she could find on their mysterious vigilante. She hoped that she could locate something, anything, that would point her in the right direction, but so far, she was running around in circles without a rhyme, a reason, or indeed a purpose.

"Well, people aren't acknowledging that the Arrow is back in town any way you look at it," Barbara responded with a frown. She scrolled over the information. She was trying to pinpoint a pattern. "Whoever is doing this, is keeping one step ahead."

"Obviously they're well trained, but that much is obvious," Kara said. "I didn't expect them coming, so….I couldn't catch up with them."

"It's not your fault, so don't be blaming yourself for what has been happening," Barbara responded in a swift and quick voice. There was a frown on her face. She knew that if she dug deep, she would find something interesting and this pretty much fell into the realm of something really interesting.

"What is it?" Kara asked Barbara.

"There is one eye witness account who swears up and down that the new Green Arrow, might be female," Barbara said. She pointed Kara to an online article. "Of course, the guy in question doesn't seem like the most credible source and most people who really saw the Arrow up close….well they got arrows in them."

Kara thought that the Arrow was being a bit extreme, killing petty criminals like that. There were some criminals that she could honesty see, believe her, but the petty ones weren't on that list, as far as Kara was concerned.

That was something that bothered Kara. This archer, whoever she was, went to a rather unfortunate extreme.

"So, what do we do to find her?" Donna asked, nibbling on her lip with a long and obvious frown.

"We're going to have to get lucky to be around when she strikes again, I guess," Barbara said. She reached down and grabbed a cup of coffee. She casually drank it, not knowing how anyone really functioned without it.

Kara knew that whoever was underneath this hood meant well, but in the grand tradition of meaning well, they were honestly going about things the wrong way. She rubbed her fingers together and sighed.

This was going to be one of those really long investigations.

"And Intergang has been too quiet," Kara answered. "It seems like after their botched job at the Daily Planet, they've taken a step back."

Kara didn't need to say anything; both Donna and Barbara caught and understood what she was saying right away. It was obvious that Intergang was planning something, but the real question was what and the other real question is when they will strike.

"Looks like you have a pretty full plate here," Barbara said.

Kara shook her head, "It does seem like a lot, but I could handle it."

She didn't want to admit this out loud, especially to Claire, but Claire really did do a lot and Kara was struggling to pick up her slack. It was hard.

"Guess it's a good thing that we're here to help you, isn't it?" Donna asked her. Kara turned towards her friend with a smile.

"Yeah, that is a pretty good thing," Kara admitted. She was glad that she would be able to get by with a lot of what she was doing, and she would have a little help from her friends. That would be the main thing, she thought. She needed all of the help that she could get from her friends.

Kara's cell phone rang and she picked it up. She hoped that it would be good news, for a change. Since it was the person on the other end, she knew it was news of some sort.

"Hey, Chloe, what is it?"

* * *

The rich and famous most certainly were out in Metropolis on that night. Despite the fact Intergang was on the loose again and making several heists, that did not mean that the rich and the famous were going to sit back and allow themselves to be pushed out, far from it. They were going to live the high life and make sure their charitable contributions were well known.

A gorgeous dark haired woman with blue eyes, wearing a nice blue dress made of elegant material stepped forward. The dress fit the woman's curves quite nicely. It had been a rough last couple of years for her, losing both her parents in the way that she did, but that was the wakeup call that she needed.

Her father's body was dug out of the wreckage and her mother….well it was never really found, but that was just the way things went sometimes. There were dozens of bodies in Gotham City each day that never turned up. The murderer was still at large and she would have loved nothing better than to get her hands around his throat.

"For those of you who don't read the tabloids, my name is Helena Wayne," she announced and that got a fair amount of titters for the people around her. She waited for it to die down, before she continued to talk. "A week ago, I turned twenty one, and by the rules set down at Wayne Industries, I have ascended to the top level of the company. I would like to thank Lucius Fox for all he's done and I hope that Mr. Fox enjoys a nice retirement for his years of service."

The man in question looked around and smiled when he got one of the biggest applauses in the history of high society.

"Maybe I should retire more often, if that's the kind of reception that I get," Fox joked.

"His daughter, Tamara, will be taking over where her father left off, and while she has some big shoes to feel, I think that she's up for it," Helena said. There was another loud round of applause, when a dark skinned female, a few years older than Helena stepped forward. She smiled when she walked up to the podium.

"I'll do my best, but my father leaves a tough act to father and he really deserves more than a watch and pension," Tamara said.

"That's something that I have to agree about," Helena said. "And Wayne Enterprises is going to move forward into the future. And with it, our partnership with STAR Labs is going to bring us into the future. To tell you more about it, I'm going to introduce you to my good friend, Doctor Patricia Swann."

An attractive redhead dressed in a little black dress made her way. She caught the eyes of many when she made her way up to the stage, but she was pretty much all business.

"Thank you, Helena," Patricia said. "My father, may he rest in peace, had a dream that we would be able to be joined together and the secrets of how humanity could better themselves was found in the stars. We were all saddened to see the fall of Superwoman last month, but I am confident that there is light at the end of that tunnel."

There were some cheers in response to her, although people looked skeptical. Many of them honestly feared what the future would be like with Superwoman being gone. Supergirl was fine, but she could only do so much.

"It seems like tragedy promotes us to step up, and with the partnership, Helena and I, along with our respective companies will ensure a better future, whether it be for Metropolis, Gotham, or anywhere else in the rest of the world," Patricia said. "We will be better than ever, we will be stronger than ever!"

There were a loud amount of cheers from her.

Patricia made her way down and Helena was saying a few last minute words. The redhead woman pumped into a dark haired woman dressed in a shimmering green dress that was watching casually, sipping on her drink.

"Guess, this is the time for all of us to step up and get out of that party girl faze," she responded, sipping casually on a drink. "I guess, death does that to you."

"Thea, how are you doing?" Patricia asked.

Thea Queen gave her a smile, "Oh, you know, I'm just holding up the best I can. I guess you were the first of us to go through it, so you can give Helena and I perspective on how to really deal with this? Although, it seems like nothing bothers Helena. Then again, that's a Wayne family thing isn't it? Bruce lost both of his parents and he came out fine."

Patricia didn't want to say anything, but how Bruce coped with his problems wasn't fine.

This conversation didn't continue all that much. The doors burst open and a group of five people entered the room. The most peculiar thing was they were dressed like playing cards. The leader of the gang stepped forward. He had a crown and was wielding a large staff that obviously indicated that he compensated for something.

"I'm the King, the leader of the Royal Flush Gang!" he bellowed. Everyone looked at him like he was nuts and he did come across as a bit eccentric. "And I'm here to relieve you of some of the burdens that you have on you!"

"So, give us all of your money and no one needs to get hurt," the Queen of the gang said.

"We don't want to get rough, my friend," Ace said in a really bad Cajun accent. He held a staff and a playing card was in his hand.

The card lit up with a glowing energy and he threw it at the buffet table. It caused the buffet table to explode and food and pieces of the table to fly everywhere to take out the unsuspecting people. That cause the people around them to panic and scream their heads off. Ace's lips curled into a vicious grin.

Helena was trying to find the best time to exit, but the problem was that she couldn't find a way out.

"Miss Wayne, since you're the guest of honor, it's time to pay the toll," the King said. He stepped forward with a smile. "And perhaps you should get on your knees and pay tribute to your King….."

The Queen waffled the King hard across the back of his head and that caused him to stand up straight with a groan and a grimace. The King looked towards his wife, who was scowling at him.

"Just get the money, and let's get out of here, before Supergirl turns up," the Queen said.

"Ha, I'm more of a match for some little girl!" the King yelled.

Thea tried to slip out the side entrance, but she ran into Ten.

"You know, you could just cooperate, this would go a lot easier," Ten said. She sounded bored and until she ran into Thea, she was texting on her cell phone.

She wanted to spend more time with her parents, but this really wasn't what she had in mind.

"The Royal Flush Gang will reign supreme over any gang over Metropolis," the King said. He paused. "Even Intergang, we trump them!"

Ace threw another exploding playing card at the ground and caused more chaos. He looked fairly amused by the chaos that he caused.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, my friend."

* * *

Chloe was recovering quite nicely from her recent ordeal, but naturally the news of the arrow themed vigilante caught her attention.

There was a knock on the door. Chloe opened the door.

"You know, after what happened last time, one would think that you would be a bit more careful who you let inside your house."

Chloe stepped back and allowed Kara inside. "And when have you ever known me to be careful?"

Kara sighed. She didn't really know Chloe to be careful a lot of the time and that honestly was a huge problem as far as she was concerned. Regardless, now wasn't the time to give the lecture about security.

"And you know me, I have a few more tricks than it looks from the outside," Chloe answered. "Give me some credit."

"Okay, Chloe, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt," Kara said. Chloe invited her to sit down and there were piles of paper. "Either you're becoming a slob at the ripe old age of twenty five, or….."

"I've been busy," Chloe argued.

"Of course you have, of course you've been busy," Kara said. She sat down in response. "So, what's up?"

"I've been looking into the mysterious Arrow….who is wearing a green hood, I did confirm that much," Chloe said. "The most credible sightings of the Arrow shows that she's pretty much female."

Kara frowned, and came to one conclusion, "Well, that most certainly rules Oliver out."

"Yeah, it does, and it's funny how he's a suspect, he was pretty much overkilled when we found him," Chloe said. She spoke extremely grimly. "I was going to try and get in touch with Dinah to see if she knows anything, but….she hasn't returned my calls."

Kara gave a crisp smile. It seemed like the Black Canary might have been a bit busy or she was deliberating avoiding Chloe. She didn't know which was which. She supposed that she would find out sooner or later which it was.

"So, are you interested in recruiting her?" Chloe asked, unable to resist teasing her girlfriend.

Kara looked at her with one of those looks that caused the mischievous look to fade from Chloe's face, "Maybe."

"Well, maybe is better than nothing," Chloe said. She frowned. "But you do seem interested in her."

"Who wouldn't be interested her?" Kara asked. Chloe didn't say anything because rhetorical question was in fact extremely rhetorical. She could see that Kara thought long and hard about this one. "But I wonder what her angle is….she can be pretty violent."

"Oliver in his early days wasn't exactly the pinnacle of playing nice with the bad guys, he had a bigger body count than many of the people than he fought," Chloe said. She frowned. "But, I guess that if he had kept a bit of that killer instinct, than many he would have been alive."

"Maybe," Kara suggested. There were some really dangerous people who Oliver incurred the wrath of. "But you should know better than anyone else that I'm always recruiting, always."

"Noted," Chloe responded with a crisp grin.

Before they could continue this conversation any further, there was a cell phone.

"Boy, you're popular tonight," Chloe said.

Kara let that comment pass without comment from her and answered the phone swiftly, "Yeah, Babs, what is it?"

"You know that big Gala event that was supposed to be Helena's coming out party?" Barbara asked without preamble.

"Yes," Kara commented. She was feeling a great deal of apprehension.

She could only imagine what happened and any thoughts of what happened wasn't any good.

"The Royal Flush Gang attacked," Barbara said. "They're apparently making a ploy at Intergang, for control of Metropolis."

"The Royal Flush Gang?" Chloe asked.

Kara mouthed "look into it" and Chloe nodded. She shifted her shoulders back.

"So, I suspect that Helena was your source," Kara said.

"Yes, she was, was it that obvious?" Barbara asked her.

"Fairly obvious," Kara said. She got up to her feet. "I've got to go check out the scene of the crime, see if I can find the Royal Flush Gang."

"And I'll be in touch if there's something, good luck," Chloe said. She rose to her feet and gave Kara a light kiss on the lips. Kara decided to return with a more powerful kiss that swept Chloe off of her feet.

She was left on the couch, dazed and confused, and Kara was pretty much out the window as quickly as possible.

"Well, got to focus on something else, might as well focus on this," Chloe offered. She sighed.

* * *

What was most certainly a happening party about an hour ago was eerily quiet. Kara dropped down outside and stepped inside. She pushed the doors open, frowning. She had a sense that there was something really bad happening around her.

Kara stopped and she could see another figure dressed in the shadows. She wore a nice tight black and purple outfit that fit around her body snugly. She was bent over, showing her nice ass, and Kara enjoyed the view.

"Hello, Supergirl," Helena said. She looked at the younger girl and decided to add, almost as an afterthought, "Or is it Superwoman, now?"

"I….decided out of respect to Claire not to take up that mantle," Kara said. She stepped towards Helena when she turned around. The two girls locked eyes with each other. "Guess we had the same idea…..Huntress."

"Yes, we did," she commented. She turned towards Kara and smiled. "The Royal Flush Gang has been active all throughout the East Coast. The thing is that they don't need the money, from what I've heard. They have always been well to do. They rob from the rich because they are bored."

Kara hated when criminals did this. Especially when they put people in danger, which was often.

"Delinquency is not the best way to deal with boredom," Kara offered. She scanned the area, trying to pick up something that Helena might not miss.

"Yes, it normally isn't," Helena agreed. She frowned. She wasn't a great detective like her father was, but she prided herself on being extremely observant. But her skills of observation were being tested right here and right now.

She found the charred remain of a playing card. She recalled Ace throwing them around. The fact the playing card was able to be detonated indicated some kind of super powers. She wondered if this particular incarnation of the Royal Flush Gang might be meta-humans, that really wouldn't surprise her.

"So, this is the only calling card that he left behind," Helena said. "It wasn't much of a calling card though."

Kara couldn't even tell what card this Ace had been using. It was completely and utterly burned beyond recognition. Then again, the entire Royal Flush Gang looked to be a few cards short of a deck.

"You're the Huntress now?" Kara asked.

"It's a step up from neon green booty shoots," Helena replied in a stoic voice.

Kara couldn't say that she wasn't disappointed that those were gone.

"But you wore them so well," Kara said. That got Kara one of those looks, but she didn't really back off. "Well, it's the truth, you know that."

"Yes, I know that," Helena replied in her most crisp tone of voice. She wasn't about to argue with her on that.

"Really surprised that you haven't taken up the mantle of the Bat just yet," Kara said.

There was a long pause when Helena was thinking this over. She thought about the legacy that her father left behind and the large shoes he left her to fill. Shoes she wasn't quite ready to fill, no matter how hard she tried.

"I'm not ready to go that far yet," Helena said. The matter was dropped, mostly because Helena forced the issue. "How is Claire?"

Kara thought that they would get around to this question. She sighed and took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Not well," Kara admitted with a long sigh. "It seems like it's about one step ahead and two steps backward with her."

Helena placed a hand on Kara's shoulder.

"I know it's rough," Helena replied.

Kara raised her eyebrow, No kidding.

"Don't give up on her just yet, I'm sure that she'll find where she wants to go," Helena said. "Not that I was implying that you were giving up on her, just reminding you about what truly matters."

She had the same way with her words as her father did and that way with words wasn't good at all. That was the one thing they honestly had in common. There was a buzzing in her ear and she could see by Kara's reaction that there was a buzzing in her ear as well.

"Yes, Batgirl, what is it?" Helena asked her.

"Well, I've found some interesting information on the gang of thugs….and I'm guessing that Chloe has found out some interesting information as well," Barbara said.

Helena turned to Kara who smiled and nodded, "Chloe says that she has found some interesting information and she suspects that Barbara has done the same."

Helena was almost amused. At least this was the first almost smile that wasn't forced because of the mask that she had to wear in public.

"I think it's best if we make arrangements to meet and compare notes," Kara offered Helena.

Helena decided that would be for the best, at least for right now.

* * *

Bruno Mannheim was pissed when he found out that the Royal Flush Gang had jacked one of his shipments. He slammed his fist down onto his desk.

"Mr. Mannheim, sir, we'll….."

"Don't patronize me, Louie!" Mannheim snapped. He was practically foaming at the mouth. "They came into my town, without permission."

None of them were willing to tell Mannheim, at least not now, that he technically only got this position as the leader of Intergang because Morgan Edge allowed it.

They saw their boss pacing back and forth like a caged beast. He looked completely out of his mind, which was scary when you got to know Mannheim. He was not the most well-adjusted of people for sure.

He finally caught his breath and gritted his teeth. "If those Royal Flush Gang rich snobs thing they can take Metropolis from me, from Intergang, they're in for a surprise."

Mannheim was ready to go to war with the Royal Flush Gang. He lost enough money to raise his blood pressure through the roof.

It was time to make them pay, with interest, and take back what belonged to him. Mannheim was going to put them in a really fancy pine box.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on July 6** **th** **, 2015.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: House of Cards Part Two.**

* * *

The headquarters of the Royal Flush Gang was not some rundown warehouse or the back room of some store, but rather it was extravagant. They need not steal for the money, for they had plenty of it. Rather they stole for the need to show that they were superior to all. They wanted to show that they were the rulers of Metropolis.

The King stood in front of his gang, smiling. The Queen leaned back against the chair. She had known by now the proper times to humor her husband when he was going on one of his tangents. Ten looked rather bored from the proceedings and was not having a semblance of giving one single shit. She was currently on her cell phone right now. Jack and Ace listened to their King.

"Well, well, well," the King said. He lifted up some of the funds they acquired through their crime spree. "It might be a drop of the bucket compared to the resources that I have."

"Which makes this a waste of time," Ten muttered underneath her breath.

She thought their stupid criminal activities were stupid because they had the money. Why would they risk their reputation for some kind of demented thrill?

If the King heard his daughter, he didn't say anything. Rather he stood up boldly and proudly. "But, it's not the result of the mission that matters, at least not yet. Rather, it's the statement that we're making. And the statement we make is the Royal Flush Gang rule Metropolis. Bruno Mannheim thinks that he is going to take over because Edge is in prison."

"Mannheim is nothing but a filthy commoner," the Queen said. She wrinkled her nose like she had spelled and tasted something entirely foul.

"Correct!" The King bellowed. He slammed his hand down on the table. "He isn't fit to rule Metropolis. Back in the day, rulers were people of class and sophistication and not some glorified thug with a few fancy weapons."

The members of the Royal Flush Gang nodded with each other. The King rolled down a map from the city.

"This is the territory Mannheim thinks that he's secure, but nothing is completely secure in this city, not now, not ever," the King continued. He was picking up his stride and the smile crossed his face. "The Royal Flush Gang will triumph over Mannheim and they will be the ones that will be the kingpins of Metropolis."

"There's just one problem, our little stunt has gotten some problems," Ten said. She pulled herself away from her cell phone for long enough to inform her father of this particular problem. "Supergirl, she's a problem."

The King grunted in response, "She's a problem, I agree. But she's a problem that we can take down, if we pool our resources and we work together. The Royal Flush Gang is nothing, but resourceful. Trust me on that one."

"I'm already trying to figure out a method to take Supergirl down," Jack said.

"About time you were useful for something," Ten said.

"Hey, you shouldn't disrespect me," Jack told Ten. "I went to college."

"Wow, good for you, and what a wonderful life you've lived since then," Ten answered.

Jack decided to brush off the words of his fellow gang member. He didn't see her dispense anything useful other than sarcasm.

"And it's not just Supergirl, there's some nutcase putting arrows in people, in case you haven't figured that out," Ten informed her father. "And there's rumors that Batman has risen from the grave."

"He does do that, my friend," Ace said in his usual Cajun accent.

The King brushed off the thoughts of the Royal Flush Gang. Naturally, the man thought that he was in control. "I didn't gain control of the Royal Flush Gang by acting scared and with indecision. No, far from it, this gang is my legacy."

"It was my father's legacy," Queen said.

"And you were all for removing him from that legacy, my dear," King said.

Queen smiled, that much was true. It was a brilliant plot to get her father out of the way. That was beside the point.

"You need not get cocky though, we need a plan to take down Supergirl, and make sure she stays down," Queen said. "It would be bad form if some tart in a glorified Cheerleader outfit gets the better of us."

"Do you have such a lack of faith in me that I wouldn't seal the deal?" King asked his Queen.

The Queen didn't comment on this statement from the King. She knew better than now to comment on such statements. She felt like it was much too easy to throw a cheap shot at her husband because of his poor performance.

"Just make sure to keep your eye on the ball," the Queen said.

Jack gave a soft whistle of triumph, "I think that I have the perfect way to take Supergirl down once and for all."

He had to hack through seven different firewalls to do so, but he was inside and he felt pretty pleased with himself.

"Yes, this is going to be a wonderful day, the Royal Flush Gang is going to rule of Metropolis," the King answered.

It was time to show that he was better than all of the Kings that came before him.

* * *

Helena and Kara arrive to the café where Barbara and Chloe sat around with each other. It was obvious that both females had been talking to each other for some time, comparing notes.

"Oh, Chloe, I'm not sure if your facts are completely on par," Barbara said, shaking her head. "Although I can see the confusion of the situation, because there have been at least four or five different versions of the Royal Flush Gang in the last few decades."

"What?" Kara asked. She must have missed a hell of a debate and she was kicking herself for doing so.

"Chloe seems to think that the Royal Flush Gang is a group of meteor mutants," Barbara said.

"Seriously?" Kara asked.

Chloe threw her hands up to defend herself, "Hey, given the fact that they popped up pretty much every week for ten years, you can't blame me for exploring that angle."

Kara shook her head. She supposed that she couldn't blame Chloe for exploring that angle.

"We should take a look down all avenues," Helena answered. There was a frown on her face though. "But, I'm doubtful about this one."

"Well, they could be this family of four, who had been caught in the meteor shower, they are rich," Chloe said. "And they have committed crimes out of boredom even more the meteor shower despite that fact, well the father, mother, and oldest brother is. I guess that would be the King, Queen, and Jack. The youngest daughter would have joined them a long time ago."

Kara looked over the information, blowing her hair from her face. She supposed that it would be possible. At least it may be possible for her to try and humor Chloe because of the situation.

"You're pretty much giving me the side eye, because of this, aren't you?" Chloe asked Kara.

"I don't know what gave you that impression," Kara answered. "I'm willing to explore all possible avenues because of this."

"But that doesn't show where Ace and his magical playing cards come in," Barbara said.

Chloe frowned. She hated having her theories being poked full of holes, even though there was a good reason to have her theories being poked full of holes, "Well, that's a pretty good question. He kind of was the one anomaly in the entire gang, if you really think about things from a certain angle."

Her frown deepened and she thought about it.

"He might be someone that they picked up, perhaps his talents were good enough for the jobs that they were doing," Chloe said. "Or he could have been a servant."

"There was also the Royal Flush Gang that was an ancient order of high society that went back to ancient Roman times," Helena said. "There have been a few ancient orders of high society, but despite their riches, they were thieves. It was passed down from generation to generation. Normally, the torch was passed through a convoluted ritual from the next generation's king to slay the previous generation's king."

"That's insane," Chloe said.

"That's how the mantle was passed," Helena reminded her. "And if this Royal Flush Gang is that Royal Flush Gang, they are pretty skilled and fairly dangerous. No need for meteor powers for that one."

Chloe was willing to concede that could be another possibility. It was just that she was seeing meteor powered people from so many angles, one couldn't really blame her for seeing them pretty much everywhere she turned.

"So, I think we can agree on one thing," Kara said. "They need to be stopped."

"The only problem is pinning down a motive," Chloe said. "But, the only motive for the Royal Flush Gang, no matter what the version is most times boredom. They commit crimes not out of need, but out of the fact they want to."

"They want to rule Metropolis, and they want to take out Intergang to do so," Helena said.

"A war between both sides, it could leave many innocent people in the crossfire," Barbara answered in a hush voice. "I'm trying to figure out if there's anything….."

It turned out that Chloe was a little bit faster than Barbara in finding out the information she needed, much to Barbara's chagrin.

"There's been an attack on STAR Labs," Chloe said somberly.

There was no question about it, Kara was out the door quickly. No sooner did she say that was she was there.

Barbara was going to turn around and say something to Helena, but she disappeared from her chair as well.

"Did you see her leave?" Barbara asked. Chloe shook her head in negative. That caused Barbara to sigh.

One of these days, she was going to figure out how those fucking Waynes pulled off that disappearing trick. She was pretty sure it was something simple, but at the same time, needlessly complex. Which as it turned out, didn't make any sense.

* * *

Kara arrived at STAR Labs less than a minute after Chloe informed it. She knew STAR was working on several projects that could be dangerous and none of them could be good in the hands of the Royal Flush Gang or really anyone.

Nervously, Kara started to tap on the side of the door. She frowned when she eased into the lab. Her super hearing perked up when she peered around the door. There was something near, she knew it.

"Hello?" Kara asked.

Nothing responded back to what she said. There was not a good side. She saw a hole in the wall and the charred remains of a playing card lying on the ground. It was the same type of playing card her and Helena found at the high society benefit the Royal Flush Gang attacked.

She could see the doors of the main lab jarred open. The lab was ransacked and Kara heard someone frantically struggling behind a table. The person in question was tied up and freaking out something fierce.

Kara moved the table out of the way to reveal the owner of the STAR Labs branch in Metropolis, Patricia Swann. The redhead looked to be bound in some kind of material.

"Hold still," Kara said. She focused her heat vision, burning through the bonds. She reached forward and offered Patricia her hand. The woman took it quite shakily. She had to lean against Kara to get up.

"Just give me a minute," she said. She shook her head when Kara lead her over to one of the few chairs in the lab. "Water, please."

Kara rushed over and got her a drink of water. She was also checking over Patricia to make sure she didn't have any broken bones.

"They stunned me and tied me up when I wouldn't open the vault over there," Patricia said. "And I wouldn't go in there without a suit…..because Kryptonite's in there."

"I'm shielded from Kryptonite," Kara reminded her. Patricia shook her head.

"We've been…experimenting," Patricia said. She finally managed to regain her bearings, "It's very preliminary, but we wanted to see if we can duplicate the process Luthor used to create the gold Kryptonite. I've been pouring over my father's notes, hoping for a hint…."

"You've, been experimenting with that?" Kara asked. She didn't really know what to think about that. It was one of those things that confused her.

"I was hoping that I would find out what Luthor did to Superwoman and maybe…maybe we could get her powers back," Patricia said. "I know my father theorized that there was no way to reverse Gold Kryptonite but….maybe there was a way and he had overlooked it."

"I can see where you're coming from there, yes," Kara agreed, frowning. She had the suit on and entered the vault. She spoke over her shoulder. "Exactly how close were you to pinning down the Gold K?"

Patricia spoke honestly, "We were lucky to get it there for a second, but it turned black."

"What does Black Kryptonite do?" Kara asked.

"I don't know, and that's why I asked you to wear the full body radiation suit," Patricia said. She shook her head. "I know it isn't the most maneuverable around, which is why we developed the more streamlined shield. And we are trying to figure out how to block other forms of Kryptonite. Need I remind you how much trouble the Red Kryptonite caused?"

"I think Claire would like to forget," Kara muttered. She looked through the boxes. It was labeled.

STAR Labs did a good job in gathering up a lot of the Green Kryptonite that was lingering out in the world. They didn't destroy all of it; they kept some of it just in case. Kara understood what they were doing.

"My second run in with the Royal Flush Gang in twenty four hours, I don't know whether I should feel fortunate or annoyed," Patricia said. "I'm fine now…just a little shaken up, but who wouldn't be shaken up after what I've gone through?"

Kara would have to agree, anyone would have to be shaken up after what poor Patricia had gone through.

Patricia got up to her feet and it was obvious that she was frantically searching for something. Her frustration got high when she didn't find it.

"What is it?" Kara asked her.

"There was a copy of my father's notes in this vault….but it's not there anymore," Patricia said. She had to sit down once again. "It wasn't the only copy….I was keeping it with the Kryptonite and…..well, I can see how that might be a mistake right now. It was his theories on how different forms of Kryptonite were synthesized."

"So, Luthor didn't find the Gold Kryptonite, he made it from scratch," Kara said.

"Yes, but you're going to need a piece of naturally occurring Green Kryptonite for the best results," Patricia said. She cupped her chin. "I suppose it's possible to break down the chemical compound….but it does have elements in it that are not found on Earth. So, you wouldn't get an exact match."

Maggie Sawyer turned up to investigate the crime. Kara turned to meet her.

"Things have gone from bad to worse," Maggie informed her. Kara raised her eyebrow. "The Royal Flush Gang just stole a shipment from a truck that belonged to Bruno Mannheim."

Kara realized what that meant; Maggie didn't really need to spell it out for her. The Royal Flush Gang had access to some of Intergang's weapons. Their powers, should they have any, along with those weapons made them dangerous.

She might be a target, but given the King's boastful speech, his key vendetta was directed towards Intergang.

"I'm here to ask Dr. Swann a few questions as well about the break in," Maggie said. "I'm just waiting for Turpin to come up."

"I've got to investigate the truck that was taken," Kara said.

Patricia stopped her before she could leave. "Another copy of my father's notes….perhaps you could make use out of them."

"I think that I can," Kara said. Given that she was running into brick walls constantly regarding trying to cure her cousin of her affliction of having no powers, Kara really did appreciate all of the help that she could get. "I'll leave you in the extremely capable hands of the MCU."

Patricia appreciated that. She watched Kara leave and she turned to answer whatever questions Detective Sawyer had.

* * *

The notes were in front of Jack of the Royal Flush gang. He grinned like a Cheshire cat when he looked them over. There was a piece of Green Kryptonite in front of him.

"So, we stole Green Kryptonite, something that's more common in this city than crack," Ten summarized in a bored tone. "Surely, the tides of this war are turning."

"And it's because my genius that Supergirl will be as powerless as her cousin is," Jack said. He looked at the Green Kryptonite and flipped through Swann's notes. They seemed to be pretty straight forward. "And you're going to appreciate me….when this all over. You're going to be begging for a piece of me."

"You're just some thug that my father named after my dead brother, don't get too cocky," Ten said.

"You'll change your tune when I finally get some respect from bringing down Supergirl," Jack answered. He was gathering up the chemicals he needed. "You should respect me…I went to college!"

"Yes, so you keep telling me," Ten remarked. She reclined back and continued to thumb away at his cell phone. "My parents are riding high because they got the Mannheim shipment. Don't know why, we own our own tech company."

"Yeah, but Mannheim has some real Star Wars level shit," Jack replied.

"Star Wars Level Shit?" Ten asked in amusement. She laughed. "Pretty intelligence dialogue for the college graduate."

Jack looked sour, but he would have his day and he would have the respect that he commanded. He looked over the notes that he had.

"Oh, this….damn it!" Jack yelled. "I thought that I had everything….but I don't have this."

Ten raised her eyebrow, "Is there a problem, Mr. Magna-Cum-Never?"

"One of the chemicals….is rare and difficult to acquire,' Jack said. "But it's a vital component to turn the Green Kryptonite into Gold, and I can't do it without it. It's completely useless."

"You should have stolen some from STAR then," Ten answered. She looked bored.

"Yes, don't help me solve the problem, that's right," Jack said, shaking his head. He decided to be nice if he wanted to get into her panties and start a brand new generation of the Royal Flush Gang all of his own. "Fine, it's obvious that my genius is going to have to bail you lot out again."

"So, we're trying to be British now?" Ten asked dryly.

Jack bit down on his lip and started to search through the chemical database. His grin got wider and he turned around to face Ten, "Face it Tigress, we just hit the jackpot."

"Call me that one more time and I will rip your eyeballs out," Ten said in a sweet voice. "What did you find anyway?"

"The chemical that I need is being shipped to LexCorp," Jack said.

"Oh, well, of course, LexCorp would have it, because it isn't like Lex Fucking Luthor was the only one who could successfully create gold Kryptonite or something like that," Ten said in an extremely bored voice. She filed her nails.

"Well, tell me your progress."

Ten and Jack looked up and saw King standing casually in the doorway, along with the Queen.

"I need this final chemical, and the only place that has a shipment is LexCorp," Jack informed him. "Ten and I have been discussing it, and I feel that the five of us can take the truck and we can finish the experiment."

"Wouldn't it be far more prudent to break into STAR Labs again and get the chemical from there?" Queen asked.

"Supergirl would have found out about it, mother, and we're trying to avoid her until we get the Gold Kryptonite," Ten said. She rolled her eyes and went back to her cell phone. Her parents could be so dense sometimes.

"Yes, my baby girl raises a point," King said proudly when he stood up to his feet. "Therefore, we must acquire it from the LexCorp shipment. It shouldn't be too hard. Once Ace returns, we'll depart."

"Where is Ace anyway?" Jack asked. "He tends to leave at weird times….he's a pretty weird guy."

Ten shook her head. Jack saying someone was a weird guy was the epitome of all thing hypocritical if she had to say so herself.

"And look at those two, plotting together," Queen said suddenly out of the blue. "I believe that the wedding will be lovely."

"I don't think there's any rush for that," King said gruffly. He knew the sooner that his daughter was married, the sooner his days as the King of the Royal Flush Gang was done. He liked to be on the throne for a while longer if he could help it.

"Yes, there's no need for that, really," Ten said. She wanted to be sick; Jack was the type of guy that would put her off of men forever. It was kind of also creepy that her parents were trying to marry her to some guy that was named after her late brother. Who resembled him as well.

Never the less, martial plans would have to wait, as the Royal Flush Gang had a truck to catch.

* * *

"You know, Lex might have lost his fucking marbles, but he's a genius to be able to be able to pull something like this off," Chloe said. "I mean, chemistry really isn't my thing….but it seems like….."

"He did do the impossible, yes," Kara said grudgingly. She didn't want to give Luthor any credit, but he did accomplish something he had been failing.

"Doctor Swann has a sound theory about how to go on things, and I'm sure that Luthor filled in the blanks from there," Helena said. "And I'm certain how he filled in the blanks went to the grave with him."

"Did you know about STAR working on this project?" Kara asked.

"I had an idea they might be," Helena confirmed. "This final chemical that Swan talked about, it's extremely rare."

"And yet it's almost the most vital component to getting things right," Lara continued. "It is times like this where I wish that Alura was around, she could have pieced things together fairly easy."

"Yes, she could have," Kara said. "STAR used their last batch of the chemical up, they're going to have to acquire more….at least according to what we found out."

"Correct," Barbara chimed in. She frowned when she looked over the data. "Well, this is interesting….there is another batch of the chemical currently out…..it's on a truck being brought into LexCorp."

That raised an interesting red flag in Kara's mind. Ever since Lex died, the board of directors had been running things. She wasn't sure if a successor had been put into place yet, but to be fair, her mind had been as far away from Luthor manners as possible.

"It should be obvious we're not the only people who are onto the truck," Helena answered.

"Yes, I know," Kara replied. If she had to guess right, she would have to say that the Royal Flush Gang was going to go after it as well. "Barbara, do you think that you can track that truck for me?"

"It's hard to track, but obviously I can," Barbara said. She frowned when she tried to lock onto it. "You know, you're racing against the Royal Flush Gang."

"Yes, I know," Kara answered, shaking her head. "But, I've got to get the chemical first…it could be a necessary component to restoring Claire's powers."

It was obvious to everywhere where Kara's head was and what she intended to do.

The race was on. Could Kara beat the Royal Flush Gang? She needed to give her best effort.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on July 9** **th** **, 2015.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: House of Cards Part Three.**

* * *

Kara tore off in hot pursuit after the LexCorp truck. It was important she find it before the Royal Flush Gang did. Faster than a speeding bullet, the blonde female went after it. She was pretty sure this was the route.

Actually, this was the route, she was almost certain of it. She saw what appeared to be a middle aged old man unconscious and sprawled on the side of the road. She dropped down beside him, frowning. She lightly touched the back of his neck, which caused him to shiver in response. Kara turned him over.

He had a heartbeat, which was a good sign. That didn't bring her any closer to finding the Royal Flush Gang through, that particular individual having a heartbeat.

"Someone is trying to block the signal, they have no idea who they're dealing with," Chloe said. She cracked her knuckles and got straight to work.

She felt insulted that anyone would dare mess with her when she was trying to hack something. It was a matter of personal honor.

Kara followed the path down the road. She was pretty sure that she was going to get on top of the truck in a few minutes. She frowned deeply when was in pursuit of the truck when it barreled down the road.

She was almost on top of it, she had a feeling. Actually there was no almost about it, she was completely on top of the truck when it was making its way through Metropolis. Kara stopped and stared.

She spotted one of the Playing Card goons behind the wheel of the truck. Kara tried to discreetly follow it, but unfortunately, there was a little problem.

An electrified net was thrown into the air. Kara tucked her head and had to dodge it at the last possible second. The net flew over the air and wrapped around a pole. Kara hitched in her breath and dropped down to the ground hard.

She came face to face with Ten of the Royal Flush Gang. She held a grenade in her hand and hurled it at Kara.

Kara dodged out of the way. She tried to attack Kara head on, which wasn't the smartest thing that she could have done. Kara grabbed her arm and flipped her onto her back.

"Did you really think that you were going to defeat me?" Kara asked.

She unleashed a cloud of mist which caused Kara to stagger back. Ten got up to her feet and tried to nail Kara with a glancing blow. She dodged another shot and Kara pushed her down onto the ground again. The member of the Royal Flush Gang crashed down onto the ground, the wind absolutely knocked out of her.

"No, I didn't think that I was going to defeat you but I was going to do everything in my power to stop you," Ten said. She barely was able to get to her feet, before she could be forced down.

Kara figured out what her game was. She rushed Ten across the road at super speed.

Another Ten tried to nail her with a Kryptonite dagger. Kara blocked it with her hands. It stung, despite the shield which blocked out the more harmful effects of the Green Kryptonite radiation. Without the shield, she would have dropped to the ground, whimpering like a kitten.

Ten realized that her secret weapon was only so good. In fact, it was not really good at all.

Kara disarmed her and hurled the green Kryptonite dagger. She realized she was surrounded by an entire group of Tens.

She took a step back and was trying to figure out this battle smartly. The holographic duplicates of Ten looked extremely convincing and they were solid. Kara detected they were giving off a certain energy signature.

All she had to do was pinpoint that energy signature and take her out. Kara was ready for this. She prepared for this. She used her X-Ray vision to isolate the prime model of Ten.

Jack and Ace of the Royal Flush Gang were behind the wheel of the van. The two goons were pretty much on cloud nine.

"So, do you think that Ten has Supergirl distracted?" Ace asked.

"I think the device I rigged to give her the upper hand will do the trick," Jack said. He looked extremely smug to the point where he was obnoxious. "After all, I'm a scientific genius. There should be no way that I could be stopped. No way at all."

"Well genius, don't miss your turn up there," Ace chortled. He could see Jack nearly slam on the breaks and then turn around, going around the corner.

Huntress and Batgirl were on the hunt, so the Royal Flush Gang was not completely out of the woods yet.

* * *

Ten actually thought for once in his life, Jack came up for a plan that didn't completely reek of being absolutely stupid. At least that was her opinion in the matter. She kept trying to bring Supergirl down.

She found the holographic pack on her back. That wasn't good. She ripped it off of Ten's pack and caused sparks to fly everywhere. That was even worse all things considered. And the worst could be pretty bad.

"Okay, I'm done playing," Supergirl said.

Ten squealed in surprise and found herself tied up against a street sign. She wasn't sure how it was done.

The fact Supergirl pressed against her like that mad her nipples harden against her suit. She frowned when she realized the reaction she was receiving. Her mask slipped off in her attempts to get out.

"You're just a teenager," Supergirl said. That completely floored her. Sure enough, Ten was just a teenager and an extremely attractive and busty blonde one at that. Kara looked her over. The more Kara looked her over, the harder her nipples seemed to get and Kara sensed arousal between her legs.

"Um, please tell me that you aren't using your X-Ray vision to….undress me with your eyes," Ten said.

"Just making sure you don't have any concealed weapons," Kara said. She gave her a good long looking over to really make sure, you could never be too careful. "The two of us, we're going to have a nice little chat about what you and your gang are up to."

Ten felt Supergirl's breath in her face. It smelled extremely nice, she had to say. It could be far worse; some disgusting middle aged cop could be breathing down on her. Trying to frisk her, to feel her up and grab weapons off of her.

"They'll come and get me, and…..they'll come and get me, won't they?" Ten asked. There was uncertainty in her voice.

"Seems to me like you were a pawn to make sure that I didn't follow them to their hideout," Kara said with a smile. She was as close to Ten as she dared to get. "You've been a very bad girl, haven't you?"

Ten really didn't know what to say about that. Her mind got a visual image of Supergirl bending her over her knee and spanking the shit out of her. Why did that make her pussy twitch so hard? Ten didn't know. She hated her own body for reacting like that. It felt completely awful to have her body react like that.

"Yes, you've been extremely bad, haven't you?" Kara asked her. She closed the gap between her and Ten. "I wonder how long has it been for you?"

"Never, I….." Ten said, shaking her head. She realized that this blonde wasn't talking about that. She couldn't help, but notice the extremely short skirt she was wearing. It seemed to roll up because of the wind that blew outside.

She wondered why there weren't a million upskirt photos of Supergirl plastered on the Internet. In fact, she couldn't even remember one. Not that she looked; she so didn't look, okay maybe once.

"How long have you had your powers?" Kara asked.

"Powers?" Ten asked. "What powers?"

"I thought that the Royal Flush Gang were meteor mutants?" she asked in confusion. That caused Ten to shake her head.

"Well, there is a Royal Flush Gang who our meteor mutants, or there were," Ten responded. "And there are a couple more knockoffs who I suppose might have powers, but…that's not us. It's my parents….my brother was a part of it, but he got shot during a heist. We found some guy named Jack….to replace my brother Jack….looks kind of like my brother as well, nose is a bit different though."

Kara allowed this to sink all in.

"And there's Ace," Ten muttered underneath her breath.

"What can you tell me about Ace?" Kara asked her.

Ten looked at Supergirl and shook her head. "No one knows about him, or where he's come from. He's some guy my father hired, wasn't the first Ace? That was our family butler, but he was getting old, on in age, so my father put him out to pasture."

"You mean he killed him," Kara said.

"No, duh," Ten said in a bored voice. "The Royal Flush Gang wants Metropolis. Mannheim disrespected my father, and he wants payback in the worst way. Well technically Edge did, Mannheim's just his stooge, but still my father wants payback in the worst way."

Kara shook her head, as if there was ever a good way to have payback.

"He just can't let it go, no matter what, and he should have a long time ago," Ten continued with a frustrated grimace.

"They're after the LexCorp shipment, why?" Kara asked her. She knew, but she just wanted confirmation.

Ten looked like she hesitated, unsure whether or not she wanted to tell her what was going on.

"Remember, your family ditched you and left you hanging," she responded. It might have been a low shot, but Kara needed information.

"They're trying to replicate the gold Kryptonite…you know, the one that stripped Superwoman of her powers," Ten said. "I'm not sure how they're going to do that, but Jack went to college."

Kara could not help, but hear the mocking in Ten's voice regarding the Gang's replacement goldfish to her late brother. She crossed her arms and wondered, if they could be successful.

"But, come on, you figured that out, didn't you?" Ten asked. She paused. "So, what's going to happen to me?"

"I'll put in the good word for you, and you'll get a few months to cool off and a slap on the wrist, because you were only following your parents, since you're a minor," Kara said. "On the other hand, they will be in a lot of trouble with their reckless endangerment of a minor."

Ten snorted. "I'm seventeen."

"Well, then I'll look you up in about a year," Kara answered with a smile. Ten realized the implications of that and that caused her to shudder in response. "Trust me, you're not a bad person Ten…."

"Melanie, my name is Melanie," Ten answered.

"Chloe, call Maggie Sawyer, explain everything to her, I've got to stop them," Kara said.

"And what if….what if they've succeeded?" Chloe asked.

Kara didn't answer that question, which left Chloe out in an extremely uncomfortable lurch. The sad thing was that she didn't know.

* * *

Jack held the piece of Green Kryptonite in his hand when he prepared for the experiment. This was far harder than it was to get ahold of than a couple of years ago. Between STAR Labs and Wayne Enterprises, most of the Green Kryptonite was rounded up.

He had his chemicals out and he prepared for the experiment.

The King looked gleeful, but his glee turned sour when he realized that the doors were open and Huntress and Batgirl stood there.

"I thought you said that no one could find your hideout," Queen answered, shaking her head in response.

"Distract them!" Jack snapped to King.

The King wasn't happy about having the hired help tell him what to do. He bunched his fists up with a nasty scowl on his face. He pulled out his large staff and sent a blast of fire at Batgirl and Huntress, who dodged it.

"And once again, he seems like the type that's compensating for something!" Barbara yelled. She dodged the flames from the staff, when they tried to wipe her out.

"We got to get the staff away from him," Huntress said. Her heart sped up when she dodged the attacks. "And soon!"

"Yeah, good idea, glad that you thought of it," Batgirl said. She flipped herself up over the top of the King's head.

She was glad her skills were sharp, because this was embarrassing. She misdirected the King's fire. He got more erratic and it was time to get in his head and fuck with him mentally.

"Ah, no wonder your wife looks so pissed," Batgirl said. She practically taunted the King. "You don't know how to use a big staff. I doubt very much you know how to use a little one either."

"Shut your whore mouth!" the King snapped.

"Oh, that's not language that's fit for royalty," Barbara answered. She looked kind of smug when she taunted the King. "You can't hit me, you pompous jerk!"

The King's blood appeared to be boiling when he tried to take Barbara out. She dodged his attacks with an increasing fury. Her heart beat heavily against her chest. She wondered where Helena was and why she hadn't taken the King out just yet.

There she was, right on time. Helena launched herself up into the air and brought herself down hard on the back of the King's neck. The sound of him hitting to the ground like a rotten sack of meat echoed. Every single bit of air was knocked out of his lungs when he landed on the ground.

The Queen looked pissed. She took off her diamond earrings and hurled them at Batgirl. They struck to the ground with an explosion. She jumped up and pulled off some amazing moves despite the fact she was wearing heels.

Huntress tied her up when she was in midair and the Queen landed down onto the ground.

"This is more sexually exciting than anything my husband has ever done," Queen said. She pushed her way out.

Batgirl realized Ace slipped out the backdoor. It was now time to take out Jack.

"It's done!" Jack yelled. He lifted up the piece of glowing gold Kryptonite.

Helena was surprised that actually worked. If she got her hands on that gold Kryptonite, she could reverse what happened to Claire. She could finally get back to normal, her never ending trip of angst would be derailed, finally.

Hope was dashed for Helena when the piece of gold Kryptonite turned coal black and then melted in Jack's hand. He screamed when it burned in his hand.

"You shouldn't have touched it before it stopped cooling," Helena said. He was too busy howling in pain to answer her. She decided that the best course of action was to put him out of his misery.

One rocket buster of a punch knocked him into dream land. Jack fell down onto the ground, a busted lip and a consciousness for all of his trouble.

Helena switched on the ear piece.

"Supergirl, no need to come in, we've taken care of it," Helena said. "The Royal Flush Gang, three of them are done, and we're going to track down Ace."

"Okay, I've got to ask the question," Kara said. "Did they replicate the gold Kryptonite, or not."

"For a moment," Helena said calmly. "Then it turned black and melted in Jack's hand….he suffered radiation poisoning by the looks of things because of that."

"Was the college graduate not wearing gloves?" Kara asked.

"Yes, he was, but it burned straight through," Helena confirmed for her. "I've got a penthouse in Metropolis that I rarely use. Do you think that you could meet Batgirl and I there within the next fifteen minutes?"

* * *

Kara had to admit the Wayne Penthouse was a bit nicer than the fairly modest apartment she, Barbara, and Donna shared.

Barbara sat down and she was being checked over by Helena. At first, Helena studied to be a doctor like her grandfather was, but after the death of her parents, she decided to go into the other family business. The skills for both sides served her fairly well as a crime fighter.

"You were extremely lucky not to be burned," Helena informed Barbara. Barbara looked at her, raising her eyebrow.

"I'm not sure luck has much of anything to do with it anymore," Barbara said. She could see Kara sit down.

"Swan's notes have been recovered," Helena said. "Patricia said that we should keep a copy regardless, because perhaps we can make some headway that STAR Labs has failed to accomplish. And perhaps we can find a way to help Claire."

"She's become quite insufferable without her powers," Kara said.

"Yes, she has," Helena agreed without missing a beat. "But, that was who she is? It does serve as a valuable lesson that you should be prepared for anything. Powers, or indeed high tech gadgets, are no substitute for skill and the mind. She needs to realize that."

Kara wondered if Helena was speaking from experience because of the high tech gadgets.

"If you'd like, you can use this penthouse, because it would be gathering dust otherwise," Helena said.

"Yeah, we might take you up on that offer," Barbara said. Kara responded by nodding her head. "Our landlord is being a bit of a pill and asking way too many questions, that I don't think that we should answer."

"He should really shut up, because we pay our rent every time, on time, every month," Kara answered.

"You do draw attention to yourself, far too much," Helena said. She got up to her feet, but Kara stopped her from leaving.

"Is it bad that I was hoping that the Royal Flush Gang would have succeeded in duplicating the gold Kryptonite?" Kara asked.

Here was no pause in Helena's voice when she offered a crisp, "No."

So it was just like that, she said what she meant in an extremely calm tone. She looked towards Kara.

"I'm going to see if I can track Ace down," Helena said. "Let me know if you need anything."

Helena was off into the night as quickly as she appeared. Huntress or not, she had a way of leaving an impression. Barbara stood at Kara's shoulder and she frowned, "Despite everything, I'm still not used to when anyone with the last name Wayne does that. And you'd think that I of all people will be used to that."

"One would think so, yes," Kara said. "I'm surprised she hasn't taken on the Batwoman moniker….why don't you do it, if she won't?"

"I'm not touching that one," Barbara said. Kara wrapped her arm around Barbara. "So, I guess it's time for us to go home."

"Yes," Kara said. She was frustrated in some ways about how tonight went, but that was just part of the process, she figured. Or perhaps she assumed that.

Assumptions could be a deadly tool though. Kara was thinking about what would happen next when she brought Barbara home.

"Guess, Donna hasn't gotten back yet," Barbara said. Kara was giving her one of those looks. "What?"

"It's been a long night," Kara said. She crossed the distance between her and Barbara.

"Are you sure you didn't encounter Red Kryptonite?" Barbara asked. Kara smiled when she wrapped her arms around Barbara.

The shorter girl was towered over by Kara. Kara was gentle, but firm in her kiss. All Barbara had to do was not struggle under her grip and Kara would take care of her.

"I need some relief badly," Kara said. "I was about to do some more hands on interrogation with Melanie."

"Who's Melanie?' Barbara asked. She thought she knew all of the girls Kara had in her collective. Granted, it was more of a group of super heroines who provided stress relief to each other more than any one person's collective. When all of the male superheroes were either dead, asexual, or jerkasses, you had few options.

"Ten of the Royal Flush Gang….going to tap that when she turns eighteen," Kara answered, kissing the side of Barbara's neck.

Barbara groaned, "Oh, you're jail bait watching a criminal…you must be…oh fuck, Kara, not there."

"What, not here?" Kara asked. She kissed the side of Barbara's neck, sucking on her pulse point. She slowly removed Barbara's top, allowing her to wear nothing but a lacy red bra from the waist up. "Or nothing there? Or nothing anywhere? Actually, I like nothing anywhere, that's so good."

"Kara!" Barbara groaned when she could feel Kara slowly turn her.

Kara pinned Barbara down onto the bed. She straddled the top of her and leaned down, kissing her. The redhead furiously kissed back, her tongue pushing against Kara's when the two of them struggled for domination.

* * *

Ace pulled up in front of a building in Gotham City, driving what looked like a milk truck. Only, he wasn't delivering milk. Inside the boxes in the back of the truck were some high tech alien weapons. The man looked rather pleased with what he accomplished and like all good criminals, he thought the time was right for a monologue.

"Gotham City, home sweet home," he said and he exited the truck. His Cajun accent was completely dropped when he exited the truck. "The King and Mannheim, two stooges that I played against each other. It was an interesting diversion, but everyone needs a hobby. Now it's time to move on with phase two."

Ace placed explosives in the back of the truck. There was no need for the weaponry on the truck, after all, he had more than a sufficient amount of weaponry back in one of his many safehouses.

It was more because of the fact that he didn't want Mannheim to have these weapons. Hence the reason why it was time to blow them sky high. He stepped back.

"Three, two, one, and blast off!" Ace yelled. He pushed the button and blew the truck with all of the high tech weapons up inside.

That would be a bigger blow to Intergang than anything that the do gooders and the cops could do. Ace turned around, whistling a merry tune. He entered a building.

The building had a weathered sign which read "Ace Chemical Plant" on it.

* * *

The King of the Royal Flush gang returned back to society as a free man. His daughter and wife could stew for a little bit, unless they wanted to pay their own way. Jack was currently on his death bed thanks to radiation poison of his own stupidity. As for Ace, well no one knew what he went up to.

His high priced lawyers got him out of prison. The King would rebuild the Royal Flush Gang, find some new woman to be is new queen and create some new heirs to the throne.

He prepared to step towards his waiting limo, only to find the driver unconscious. The King raised his eyebrow in surprise.

Suddenly, a hand gripped him from behind and pulled him up on a grappling line. He was thrown onto the rooftop and he smashed down hard, several bones breaking in the process. One would think this attack was personal.

"Archibald Walker," the mysterious person in the green hood stated. "You have failed this city."

The King of the Royal Flush Gang suffered the business end of an arrow and he knew no more.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on July 13** **th** **, 2015.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: Marked.**

* * *

Lois Lane was rushing as fast as her legs could carry her down to the parking garage. The capture of the Royal Flush Gang and the news story which followed slipped through her fingers. That being said, she could get this news story and it was a direct follow up to what happened. Lois pieced together what she heard and it was her job as a reporter to do her best to fill in the blanks.

The King of the Royal Flush Gang got out of prison, by the time honored fashion of throwing his money around. Unfortunately for him, he would have been a lot safer in prison. There was a mysterious arrow themed vigilante, taking off where the last one put out. The King was found in a critical state with three arrows inside him. Obviously, the vigilante was smart enough to cause the most amount of pain for her foes where it would be the least lethal.

It was a nasty way to go. Lois didn't say that it was undeserved. However, it was still a nasty way to go. It caused her to shudder.

Lois wondered who could be under the hood this time. She had her hunches, her theories, but it remained to be seen whether or not any of them could be true. Regardless of that fact, Lois placed her hand on the edge of the door and pushed at it. The door was giving way, and Lois frowned.

The reporter kept pounding on the button from the elevator. No dice, none at all. It caused Lois's frustration to increase.

It was stuck, just a little bit. Lois shook her head when she stepped back, "That's just great…these old buildings, I swear sometimes."

Lois gave the door a solid kick and it flung open. The reporter exited the building, into the parking garage.

She made her way to the car and she saw a shady individual moving around the area of her car.

"Hey!" Lois yelled.

Most people would have backed off, but Lois Lane certainly wasn't most people. The shady man turned around.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Lois around the waist and clapped a hand over her mouth. Lois fought out of his grip and elbowed him in the mouth. She reached into her purse and pulled a stun gun out, jabbing him in the ribs with it.

Given the pained grimace this individual gave, Lois wouldn't be surprised if she hit him a little lower, although she was not too sorry regarding that fact at all.

The man who was getting in her car stepped over, but Lois decided to introduce the toe of her boot into his balls. That was oddly effective against any male opponent. Unless he wore protection and thankfully this brain surgeon didn't.

Lois could hear someone else. Was it a third party? She saw another man fall to the ground, blood oozing out of the back of his neck.

The reporter frowned when she looked over her shoulder. This was getting weird. The lights flickered in the parking garage of the Daily Planet building before they suddenly went out with a whine.

Lois could hear something and she could feel something go into the back of her neck. It was a dart of some sort that connected. She felt the poison in the dart start to flow through her veins.

She tried desperately to keep her head up, but it was like a constant struggle. Lois shook her head.

She faded in and out, and she could feel a rough hand force her down to the ground. Even if it wasn't darkness, Lois doubted very much that she could keep her eyes open to focus too much. Her heart kept racing even quicker, with her heart racing in the back of her throat. Her hands sized up when she remained pinned on the ground.

"Don't take this personally, only business."

"Step away from her!"

There was another figure that came into the darkness and Lois could barely make out the sounds of battle. It was like she was at the end of a large tunnel, even though she couldn't be more than a couple dozen feet away.

Lois struggled to fight. Her arms felt like they were heavy and her nerve endings felt like they were on fire. The backup power flickered on and Lois could make out two figures fighting. Her eyes couldn't perceive any color, or really any distinct shapes.

Her body twitched on the parking garage floor and she blacked out suddenly. The last thing she heard was the loud sound of someone hitting the floor and the grunt which followed with that. After that, she honestly had no idea whether it was friend or foe that hit the floor.

* * *

Kara was busy at work, bent over one of the arrows. She hoped to isolate some DNA evidence that would put her to the crime. Granted, the blood all over it definitely belonged to Archibald Walker, alias the King. He was found battered, bloodied, but somehow, someway, he was still alive, if one might call him that.

The arrow was completely saturated in the King's blood. Kara was hoping to separate the blood on the arrow, for anything else. The problem was it was easier said than done.

"You know that the Green Arrow isn't going to make this easy for you," Barbara said.

She sat on the couch next to Kara, when she was busy at work with the arrow.

The two of them were making great use of the Penthouse Helena offered them. While they hadn't completely moved out of the apartment, they thought that they would before too soon. And Kara thought that if she was in that apartment for too much longer, her landlord would be launched into space.

The state of the art crime lab which was inside the Penthouse was not a huge surprise at all. In fact, Kara would honestly be surprised if it wasn't.

"So, what do we know about the Green Arrow?" Barbara asked.

"Oliver Queen was trapped on an island that was a virtual hell for five years and he returned with only one goal, to save his city," Kara commented lightly. "He fought a bunch of people, made a bunch of enemies."

"Many of them jaded ex-girlfriends," Barbara added. Kara raised her eyebrow. "Okay, not many, but there was a few. Hell hath no fury, right?"

Kara snickered, Barbara had a point.

"Yeah, of course," Kara added, with a smirk when she looked over the arrow. There was something about it that taunted her, she couldn't put her finger on it though. "And then, he was killed on a plane by Bane."

"A very poetic end if I do say myself," Barbara said. "You know, male super heroes really have it rough, these days. Mostly douches, dead, or asexual."

"Well, those aren't really exclusive in some cases," Kara said. "They're able to save the day when it counts and that's when it matters."

Barbara nodded and she could see Kara pour over things suddenly. It was obvious that her mind was on the arrow from the Arrow because she had other frustrations.

"You thought that you could end it all with Claire, couldn't you?" Barbara asked her.

"Barbara, I don't really want to have this conversation, not now at least," Kara said. She continued to pour over the DNA evidence.

She did hit the nail right on the head in the most obvious manner. Kara thought that this would be the end with Claire and things could go back to normal. Well maybe not right away.

Then again, perhaps the gold Kryptonite was a once in a life time thing and could not be re-duplicated. Kara had to tip her hat to Luthor, grudgingly enough. He was able to accomplish a fair bit with what he did, even if his genius was mistake for wrong.

"Inconclusive," Kara said. "Damn it, the arrow is too contaminated."

Kara thought that it wasn't over yet, she would just have to do this the old fashioned way.

"Maybe it's his sister?" Barbara joked. "She was at the party…..and the King kind of roughed her up, and then a couple of days later, the King was found in a pretty bad state."

"Maybe, it's Thea, yes," Kara said. She was frowning. Kara decided to get onto the Planet database and search everything she could regarding the Green Arrow sightings. That theory was sound, but there was one damning piece of evidence against it. "Bit too tall to be Thea."

"Well, that was a hunch that goes down the drain," Barbara said. She slapped her hand to her palm in response.

Kara bit down on her lip so hard that it left in an impression on it. She thought that she needed one more piece of the puzzle to get this new Arrow. She was knocking off petty hoods. Kara would be willing to look the other way if it were super criminals who were putting the world in danger, but she couldn't justify killing people for petty crimes.

Her phone rang. Kara hesitated to answer it, because it was Claire, and she was sure that Claire was going to discourage her from being Supergirl because of the entire Royal Flush debacle.

Kara finally picked up the phone and answered it. "Hey, Claire, what do you need?"

"It's Lois, she's been found in the parking garage of the Daily Planet, barely breathing," Claire said.

Kara knew one of these days Lois would get in really bad trouble. Trouble she couldn't get herself out of. She didn't expect it to happen this soon. Kara gripped the phone with her hand so far that her knuckles turned white.

"Oh Rao," Kara cursed to herself. "Is she…."

"She's currently in Metropolis general hospital and in stable condition, but….." Claire said. "I warned her about this Intergang story and look where it got her."

"Sometimes, you can't be the heroine to protect everywhere, Clara," Kara said firmly. "What's her room number, I'll be over faster than a speeding bullet."

Without another word, Kara was off.

* * *

Lois Lane felt something buzzing in the back of her head. Fragmented pieces of her memory returned back to her. It felt like something took her brain apart and put it back together in a bad way.

Some goon started to break into her car. A second goon grabbed her from behind, and she got him in the balls with a stun gun. A third goon was attacked from behind and she was plugged in the back of the neck.

Everything after that was a blur and Lois could barely keep her head about herself, not to mention her wits. The dark haired reporter's eyes opened and they adjusted to the light.

Lois had a hangover before and they weren't fun. This most certainly wasn't fun. There was a slight buzzing in the back of her head when she tried to lift her head up, but she couldn't do it.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Chloe said with a smile on her face. "How do you feel?"

Lois wondered how to ask her question. Biting sarcasm sounded like a good idea.

"I feel like Lobo did a tap dance on my head," Lois groaned.

"That bad?" Claire asked.

"That bad," Lois confirmed, and she got to her feet. "You'd think that I'd learn by now."

"Well you wouldn't be you if you didn't learn by now," Chloe answered with a smile. Claire was not saying anything.

"Hey, Lois," Kara said and she made her way into the room. "Did Intergang try and knock you off?"

"Intergang….oh that would make perfect sense," Lois said, shaking her head. "That would explain why some goons are trying to break into my car. Maybe they thought I had evidence regarding Mannheim in there."

"Did you?" Claire asked.

"Is this the 1950s Smallville?" Lois asked. "Anyone who keeps evidence in their car where any goon could have it, really isn't a good reporter."

Claire nodded. She looked to be about to lecture Lois about something or other, but Kara side stepped her.

"Do you remember anything about the person who poisoned you?" Kara asked her.

"She got me from behind," Lois admitted. "It was a dart in the back of the neck….there was a second person as well, who fought her. Maybe they were fighting over the contract on my head; I didn't have time to ask. I was kind of going under pretty quickly. I barely could keep awake as is, you know.

"Yes, I know," Kara commented calmly when she looked into Lois's eyes.

"Miss Lane, glad to see that you're up and about," Maggie Sawyer said. "You know, when I heard about a reporter being attacked at the Daily Planet, it wasn't hard to put two and two together and find out its you."

"Guess I have a bit of a reputation," Lois said. "And I still feel like my head is being trampled on."

"The poison was flushed out of your system, you should be cleared in about forty eight hours," Chloe informed Lois. Lois looked at Chloe and she shrugged. "That's what the doctor said at least."

"Well, that makes perfect sense, at least I think that it makes perfect sense," Lois said. She groaned and it felt like her head was on fire something fierce.

Claire handed her a glass of water and Lois drank it. It made her feel a little bit better.

"We found the body of a man in the garage, his throat had been slit," Maggie explained to Lois.

"He was one of the guys who tried to break into my car and attack me," Lois explained. She shook her head and cleared it. "But there was a woman who attacked me, at least I'm pretty sure that it was a woman. She fought another person. I couldn't really….."

"Was one of the attackers wearing a green hood?" Maggie asked. Kara's ears perked up suddenly, but she didn't say anything.

"They might have been wearing a hood," Lois offered in a grudging voice. "I couldn't tell what color it was, I was kind of going delirious when it was happening, it was hard to keep my head up, you know that."

Maggie nodded in response. She picked up a bag containing a broken arrow.

"We believe the mysterious vigilante in the green hood may have been part of the attack," Maggie said. "The Green Arrow copycat?"

"Yeah, he's, she, whatever, they've been busy," Lois said. She wasn't complaining about this vigilante's involvement. "But whoever was underneath the hood, they've been holding taking down bad guys."

"Regardless of that fact, the head of the MCU is on the warpath," Maggie said. She sighed. "And she's a potential witness to your attack, and we might be able to finger who the attacker is."

"So, there have been no leads on who the Arrow is?" Kara asked. It wasn't common knowledge that the Green Arrow and Oliver Queen were one and the same after all. Many suspected it no doubt.

"No," Maggie said, with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, my protégé can be a bit….inquisitive at times," Chloe said when she looked from Kara to Maggie.

"Just like my mentor," Kara fired back. Chloe sighed.

"Really sorry if she stepped on your toes any," Chloe replied.

Maggie shook her head and waved off this statement. She was more than used to reporters asking questions. That was something that went with the territory.

"No bother," Maggie admitted. She was used to dealing with the press and fielding their questions. She was no rookie off the street after all.

Kara wondered if they thought that the Arrow was behind Lois's attack. Obviously, she disagreed. It was far more likely the vigilante saved Lois from a horrible fate. Regardless, Kara still wanted to find answers and she would be having a serious talk with the Arrow before it was all said and done.

* * *

Bruno Mannheim was a nervous wreck for obvious reasons.

"That fucking Lane, she has more lives than an entire army of cats," Mannheim cursed. He slammed his hand down violently on the desk, nearly bruising it in the process. He shook his head, coughing madly. "I swear to god….bitch is going to go down, and soon."

Mannheim sent his goons to get any evidence that might be incriminating against him. Hell, if she dug up something that could put him in a better position against his business rivals, so much the better. And if she had something that would fuck up Edge, that would make Mannheim dance in the streets.

And he didn't have the rhythm to do that.

Mannheim was in need for a good stiff drink. A knock on the door brought himself out of his thoughts.

The doors swung open and a pair of gentlemen entered the room. That caused Mannheim to get incensed, and raise to his feet with a bluster in his voice, "Do you even bother to….."

"Mr. Edge would like to have another word with you, Mr. Mannheim," one of the suited gentlemen said. It was obvious he had a gun on him and he would use it to keep Mannheim in line if the need arose from it. "Would you come to us?"

Mannheim pretty much had no choice if Morgan Edge wanted to see him. If his men did the job properly, or rather his insurance policy did it properly, then perhaps he would be in a lot better spot.

"Can't you see that I'm busy?" Mannheim asked. One of the gentlemen grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him out of the chair. They resembled a pair of overstuffed gorillas wearing suits. "Fine, right, I'm going, fine!"

Mannheim was pulled to a standing position and he could feel the air knocked out of his lungs when the goons dragged him outside. The two goons made sure to make a production of dragging Mannheim out in front of his men.

That did wonders in pissing Mannheim off because he looked like some kind of punk.

From a building across the street, a figure in the shadows watched old Ugly being hauled into the back of a truck.

"Edge's men have just taken Mannheim for a little chat," the woman in the shadows stated in a calm voice.

The voice in her ear didn't seem too pleased by this fact, "If Mannheim talks to Edge, this could be a problem. You know what to do."

"Take him out before it causes a problem," the woman in the shadows commented.

She knew what was on the line. The reporter escaping with her life was not nearly as much of a problem, as the person who intervened to stop her from sealing the problem. The woman in the shadows moved with quick precision.

* * *

Kara was on the hunt for any criminal activity, or rather any criminal activity in Metropolis which would cause the Arrow to get interested. She frowned when she hovered over the sky.

"Lois is raising hell," Chloe commented in her ear. "Even more so than usual, but you know….what are you…..?"

"If I have any luck at all, I should be able to find the person that is doing this, and have a few questions," Kara said.

"You're just upset because the mystery woman in the hood got away from you."

Before she had a chance to answer that question, Kara could hear a couple of goons break into an ATM machine to get themselves some quick cash and get into a getaway car, driving rather erratically when they moved.

This would normally look like a job for Supergirl, but she was hanging back, in case the Arrow would jump in.

Sure enough, one of the tires was taken out by an errant arrow. The passenger threw open the door and got out of the car.

Kara swooped down immediately and stopped the car from spiraling out of control. The second she turned around, she saw the thief receiving a brutal arrow attack which doubled him over.

"Okay, finally!" Kara yelled. She could see the Arrow about ready to pull a get away. "Not this time, Arrowette!"

Kara used her heat vision to cause a support beam to land on the ground and block the Arrow's path. The archer only was stopped for a few seconds before leaping high into the ground and landing on the support beam.

She flipped down onto the ground and kept rushing forward.

Supergirl sped in front of her. Annoyance was in the Arrow's eyes and she loaded up her bow and fired two arrows at Supergirl.

She caught them easily like they were nothing. The super powered female hurled the arrows. One of them knocked the quiver off of her back and the other knocked the bow out of her hand.

The archer rushed forward and tried to engage Supergirl in hand to hand attacks. She backed Supergirl off.

An explosion went off and a remote control bow shot three arrows into Supergirl's back. It didn't harm her, but it shredded her cape.

She was finally fed up and grabbed the archer around the waist, flying her out in the middle of nowhere where she didn't have anything set up.

The Arrow was driven breathless by being rushed out of the city at a super powerful speed. She flipped over again and landed hard on the ground with a thud.

"Okay, no arrows, no weapons, and now we're out here in the middle of nowhere," Supergirl said.

"What do you want?" The Arrow asked. Her voice was modulated, obviously, because of some gadget in her hood.

"I want to know about the assassin that tried to kill Lois Lane," Kara said.

The Arrow didn't seem to be too happy about the situation she was in.

"That's personal and something that I need to deal with," the Arrow said.

"That wasn't the question I asked, I asked for a name," Kara said. "If you aren't going to cooperate with me, I'll kick your ass all the way to the Sherwood Forest and back."

"Robin Hood jokes, original," Arrow muttered underneath her breath in a sarcastic tone. She tried to attack Supergirl.

That went for her about as well as expected, which was not well at all. She landed in some mud in the field with a splat.

"So, are we going to keep doing this all night?"

There was a tense stared down between the new Green Arrow and Supergirl. Supergirl had the upper hand, mostly because she deprived the Arrow of her gadgets and took her out in the middle of nowhere. She still had a couple tricks up her sleeve that Supergirl had to watch out for.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on July 16** **th** **, 2015.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: Lock and Load Part One.**

* * *

The girl underneath the emerald hood was trying to piece together the insanity which occurred. Most certainly there was a huge problem with occurred, that much was for sure. She thought that she had the upper hand on Supergirl, but she neglected one important thing. She was annoyingly resourceful.

"You got lucky," the Arrow said. She braced herself for a fight, but wondered what she was going to do.

Kara could tell the young woman still looked ready to fight. Kara decided to happily educate her on the choices she could make.

"I see you having a few options," Kara said. She casually laid it out on the line for her. "You tried to get the upper hand on me, but I took you out here, without your weapons, arrows, or the cover of buildings for you to get away. It's a very long walk back to Metropolis, you know. And you could run, but I'd be right in front of you."

The Arrow looked at the Kryptonian heroine, "Only six weeks under this mantle and I got in my first super hero on super hero fight, that's got to be some kind of record…."

"Were you the Green Arrow's sidekick?" Kara asked. "You weren't Speedy were you?"

"Heaven's to fuck no," the Arrow said shaking her head. She hated that codename because it sounded like someone was shooting up with something and she gave Thea all kinds of hell over it. "I was his protégé, he trained me. After he died, I decided to pick up the mantle. I had a little bit of help….people got me set up on the right track. I wanted to right the wrongs, but I didn't expect things to get so personal."

"You said that things were personal with the assassin that you fought," Kara said. "Well, it's pretty personal to me, she poisoned a friend of mine…and I believe that she's working for Intergang."

"She would never work with petty thugs like Intergang," Arrow said. "I didn't think that Mannheim would have a big enough price tag."

That turned her entire world view over on its ear. Then again, she thought that the person in question left the League a long time ago. Something pulled her back, but what. She thought that they had an understanding or at least some kind of peaceful coexistence. There were a lot of problems she had and she didn't know how to properly piece things together.

"You can start by telling me her name," Kara said.

"Her name is Cheshire, she's an assassin in the League of Assassins," Arrow said.

"Yes, as opposed to a baker in the League of Assassins," Kara answered dryly. She figured out that she was an assassin oddly enough. "How did you get entangled with her?"

The archer themed vigilante took a moment to consider her answer.

"Purely by chance," Arrow said. She was trying to figure out if she could hitch a ride out of her. She reached into her pocket, to pull out a cell phone.

Only to find Kara holding the cell phone casually between her fingers. The golden haired alien grinned when she spun the cell phone in between her fingers.

"I thought that we could work through this nicely, the easy way or the hard way," Kara said. "You just had to do things the hard way, didn't you? Tell me everything that you know."

"What do you want to know?" the woman underneath the hood asked.

"Your connection with the original Green Arrow for starters," Kara answered. "You said that he trained you but…."

"Well, he didn't necessarily train me, as he gave me a chance to use my talents for good," the girl in the hood said. "My past is fairly checkered."

"Oh, I see," Kara said. "You're one of those super heroes that started out as a bad guy…well girl, and turned good."

"Guess, if you could put it that way," the Arrow said. "Not all of us can be paragons for truth, justice, and the American way."

The phone in Kara's hand started to vibrate. It seemed persistent and she looked from the Arrow. Reluctantly, Kara handed the cell phone over, "I think it's extremely important."

"Yes, it's me," the Green Arrow responded in response. She frowned when she heard the news over the phone. "So, you spotted her….yeah, I'm about three hours away on foot….maybe three seconds if the person with me is willing to bring me back. Long story, might tell you about it. Don't let Mannheim out of your sight. Something tells me that Cheshire is going to cut her losses after the failed assassination and Mannheim knows too much."

Kara wasn't going to shed any tears over Mannheim dying, but she supposed that she should make an effort to save him. After all, that's what Claire would do if she was in Kara's position.

The young superheroine groaned in frustration. There were times where being a superhero quite frankly sucked and you would believe that it was one of those times right now.

Arrow got off the phone and turned to the younger heroine with a smile on her face. "So do you think that you can give me a lift back to Metropolis? Around the area where you disarmed me….perhaps."

"Maybe," Kara admitted. She grabbed the female archer and scooped her up, before sprinting her back into the city.

The trip was over fairly quickly. It gave the Arrow a lurching feeling in her stomach.

"Glad I never eat before patrol," Arrow muttered when she reached the city. "Hate to lose my lunch."

* * *

One high ranking Intergang leader was currently a sitting duck for a potential attack. The crimes he committed made him precious few friends.

A second archer sat on the building. She was dressed in red and she was shorter than the Arrow in question. The woman wondered when her partner would get back.

She spotted the limo and edged closer to it. It became obvious that from this high up, someone would have an expert shot to take Mannheim or one of the drivers out. All it would take was one shot and boom he was done.

The red clad archer realized that she could take him out from here. Unfortunately, this was not an assassination mission.

They were hoping that Mannheim brought their real target out in the open. Cheshire was up to no good, but exactly why, neither archer could tell.

' _Okay Artemis, where you?'_ the girl in the hood asked, shaking her head. She hated waiting around.

There was a moment's pause where she heard someone rustling around behind her. She turned around and faced the person in question. She shivered when she realized that there was someone standing behind her and it wasn't the person that she expected to be standing behind her either.

"So, I take it that I'm not the person that you expected."

The archer clad in red stood up straight to fight an athletic woman dressed in green. The dark hair poked widely out from behind a white mask that resembled a Cheshire cat.

"So, you've been roped into this mess," Cheshire said. She rushed for an attack, but the archer ducked and rolled underneath the attack. "You've done well for yourself, haven't you….I'm sure that she's convinced you that you're doing the right thing, at least in a fashion."

There was an arrow that was shot at Cheshire, but she ducked it. Cheshire flipped out of the way and landed on the wall. She flipped over the back of the red clad archer and stuck the landing. There was a moment where Cheshire smiled and she flung the knife.

The knife flew over the head of the heroine and she engaged Cheshire in a heated battle. Punches were exchanged between the two of them.

Cheshire avoided each and every individual attack with pinpoint precision.

"You know, you're far easier on the eyes than the original person under this hood," Cheshire said. She swept the legs out from underneath the red clad archer and then pinned her down onto the ground, straddling her thighs. "And he wasn't too bad looking on the eyes, although the ravages of battle got to him eventually."

The girl clad in red struggled underneath Cheshire. Cheshire really had a dominant stance over her and she was enjoying pretty much every second of it.

"As fun as this is, I do have some other places to be," Cheshire said.

Suddenly, the red clad archer made her move. She flipped out of Cheshire's grip, loaded up another arrow and shot three of them at her at rapid fire succession.

Cheshire dodged one of the arrows, and was grazed by the third. She grimaced when the arrow hit her. That was unpleasant, but the assassin managed to recover quickly.

"I don't think you understand who you're dealing with."

Cheshire disarmed her with one shot and nailed her with a vicious kick which sent her flying backwards off of the roof of the building.

The red clad archer found herself hanging from a flagpole. The only problem was the flagpole was not hanging very well underneath her rather light weight. She kicked up a storm and started to breathe heavily when she swung underneath the pull of the flagpole.

Cheshire casually walked across the flagpole like her enemy was nothing. It started to creek underneath Cheshire's weight, and she smiled when she went forward. "It's been nice seeing you around, maybe we should do this again sometime."

Cheshire jumped off and the emerald clad archer landed. Somehow, by a miracle, there was a soiled mattress lying in the alleyway.

She managed to place herself onto it, sticking a rather careful landing. She shook her head when the breath had been knocked from her body.

The tracer she tagged her with was active. There was a hope that the assassin didn't notice it, but she had pretty much no choice.

* * *

Little did Bruno and his crew know that there was a battle going up around him. The men arrived at Ryker's island.

Never one to keep his mouth shut. Bruno leaned forward. "For the record, I think that you boys are making a huge mistake."

"You can take that up with the boss," one of the goons said roughly. He honestly didn't care, but Morgan Edge was the man that he worked for, not some troll like Bruno Mannheim. Therefore, he wasn't interested in hearing any shit that got spewed out of Mannheim's mouth.

"Yeah, you lost enough turf for us, and what do you intend to do to get it back?" another goon piped up. He was more vocal and less likely to sugarcoat what he really thought to Mannheim.

Mannheim's face curled into an ugly scowl, "Hey, now, things don't get rebuilt in a day….Superwoman put the big boss up the river, while I'll was putting out fires, shit happens….."

"And you lost high tech shipments to a rival gang….."

"Sure the cops seized that by now, I mean the Royal Flush Gang, they've been put away, problem solved, right?" Mannheim asked.

"Ace is still at large," one of the goons reminded him and the smug look completely left Mannheim's face.

Mannheim grumbled that he couldn't really do anything about that, but he allowed the gentlemen to lead him forward.

The guard who was standing at the edge of the prison gave them the barest of acknowledgments when the men lead Mannheim through. Mannheim hated to see where this meeting was going to go, given that the last meeting the two men had didn't exactly go in what one would consider an extremely favorable manner.

Mannheim stepped forward down the hallway to the high security wing, or suite, rather of the prison.

Morgan Edge sat at the table, drinking a glass of expensive wine and eating a good dinner. He waved his bodyguards off and they stood back.

"Sit down, Bruno," Edge curtly ordered him.

Mannheim did what he was told. He had the sense that he was being escorted to the Principal's office during a situation like this. This was just a feeling that he had when he was being sat down in front of Mannheim.

He shook his head, he needed to stop being so paranoid and just sit down and cool his heels a little bit.

"I'm sure that you know why you're here, don't you?" Edge asked.

"It was the shipments that the Royal Flush Gang stole….." Mannheim said.

The grizzled mobster didn't like it as much as Edge did, because losing that shipment made him look like a punk.

"That's a problem, but that's not my problem, that's your problem," Edge responded. That left Mannheim looking gobsmacked.

"What do you want from me?"

"I'm warning you right now, Ugly," Edge said. He leaned forward and pretty much got into Mannheim's face. "You better not be double dealing me for any reason. I don't take too kindly to that."

"Yeah, I hear what you're saying," Mannheim replied, shaking his head. "But, the two of us….we've got similar goals….."

"Which is why you sent someone after Lois Lane, despite me telling you to leave it the fuck alone," Edge said. He took the knife that he was using to cut up steak and held it up. He grabbed Mannheim and pulled him across the table ,putting the knife to his throat. "Listen to me, you punk. I found you, made you who you are. And I can end who you are."

Mannheim thought for a moment that Edge was going to cut his throat right here and make it look like self-defense. Given that he was treated like a king here, Mannheim had no question about how he was going to get away with it.

"Do you understand me?" Edge asked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I understand you," Mannheim breathed. He was let go and dropped back into the chair.

"Have a drink," Edge said, offering him the bottle of scotch.

Mannheim reached for the bottle, knowing that it would be unwise to piss his boss off and say no at this juncture. The scotch hit the spot and he could use a good stiff drink.

"I want you to savor that drink, drink it, slowly, calmly," Edge said. His voice lowered into a practical whisper. "I want you to enjoy what you're drinking, because that drink might be among the last ones you'll ever get the opportunity to enjoy."

Mannheim stopped and he realized that this crazy bastard was going to kill him. There was no question about it, this crazy bastard was going to fucking kill him.

"All it takes is one phone call, Ugly," Edge said. "You remember that….just one phone call."

Edge patted Mannheim on the top of the head like he was a dog and to someone like Morgan Edge, that was practically all he amounted to. He was a dog, an ugly dog, a terrible, obedient and ugly dog.

"Have a safe drive, Mannheim," Edge said crisply. There was a slightly sinister nature to the gaze in his eyes. "I don't want you to hurt yourself out there, unless you piss me off."

Mannheim backed off. Now Edge was being a condescending jerk to him and Ugly Mannheim wasn't too happy about that.

"Finish the scotch and get out of my sight," Edge said.

* * *

Red Arrow followed the tracker device. She could see Supergirl and Green Arrow waiting for her on the rooftop.

"So, that's the person that you had a misunderstanding with?" Red Arrow asked.

"Yes, Speedy, it is," the Green Arrow said. She looked rather calm by her body language.

"I told you, my name's Red Arrow now," she said, shaking her head. "You should know that better than anyone else….then again, your first codename was the same as your real name….."

"Well come to think about it, that's not a bad idea, that would really throw people off," Supergirl said. She smirked. "But then again, you'd have to have a particularly snappy name to make it work, because there are some real names that don't work as codenames. And it would have to be unique enough to work."

"So, did you run into her?" the Green Arrow asked her.

"Yeah, I had an encounter with Cheshire," Red Arrow confirmed. She rubbed her arm to show that fact. "And she's about as dangerous as ever….."

"You're Thea Queen, I knew that you were involved," Supergirl responded.

"Yes, Kara Kent, you figured it out congratulations," Red Arrow said to her in response. Her hood dropped for a moment, to reveal a short haired brunette with a red mask over her face. Kara raised her eyebrows. "Well, it's obvious to anyone who's not a reporter that Claire Kent was Superwoman, because she looks like Superwoman with glasses."

That really was true.

"Yes, I'm glad that you know each other's secret identities," Green Arrow said. She looked at both of them. She lowered her hood, when she was sure that no one could be looking. She revealed a very attractive looking blonde of mixed Asian and white ancestry. "Artemis Crock."

"Oh, that makes perfect sense," Kara said. She wondered why she didn't see it before. "I mean, you were his sidekick…."

"Protégé," Artemis hissed, pulling her hood back up.

"Well, you were at the end," Kara responded, shrugging her shoulders in response.

"I slapped a tracer on Cheshire, so we should be able to follow her," Thea responded, shaking her head. She pulled her hood back up, although it was a pain to maneuver in sometimes.

Artemis didn't say anything, but she had a feeling that it wasn't going to be as easy as tagging a tracer on Cheshire.

"She stopped….somewhere near that warehouse," Thea said. "She must be meeting someone there."

"Well, let's go there and find out," Kara said.

The party made their way down into a rather rotten looking alleyway. There were debris strewn all over the place and graffiti tagging the wall. It most certainly wasn't the type of place that people would want to go willingly to be honest.

The party was down on the ground and Thea frowned. She thought at first the tracker was busted.

"I found my tracker," Thea said. She moved forward and picked it up.

The tracker was lying on top of a pile of rubbish on the trash can. It was pinned to a note where the charming words "better luck next time" taunted the group.

"Now, what's our move?" Thea asked. She couldn't believe that she thought that it was that easy and she practically could have kicked herself for thinking that it was.

"We found Mannheim and Edge's goons…..and head back to the hideout," Kara said. She turned to Artemis. "If your hunch is right….then Cheshire will want to silence Mannheim."

"So, we let her do her job, and then we take her out?" Thea asked.

Artemis didn't confirm or deny anything. She stepped across the alleyway. Kara activated the headset.

"Oracle, I need a list of Mannheim's…."

"No need, I already got them," Artemis answered. That caused Kara to raise her eyebrow in surprise. "I've got mission support of my own and she's already got a list of everything."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Barbara said. "Someone…stepped on my toes…and my territory….only Chloe is allowed to do that….."

Kara decided to half listen to Barbara rant about declaring war on the Arrow's tech person, she sounded fairly agitated. As amusing as that was to listen to, she turned towards Artemis.

"So, what's our next move?"

* * *

Mannheim's frustrating night had just begun.

"Yeah, I realize that, but I did everything that you asked me to do, and we need more support than you're giving me," Mannheim said. He had what looked to be a miniature black box in his hand.

Anyone who was looking into the office at this point would see Mannheim talking to himself and think that the pressure of everything which occurred caused him to snap. He was talking to his benefactor, his dear sweet Granny. He frowned when he hovered the box and got information that was not to his liking.

"Hang tight, and take better care of what we get you," Mannheim said. "Honestly speaking…."

There was a thump outside the door. Mannheim decided to get to his feet. This was the fucking night that never seemed to end for him. Not only did his tech get stolen, not only did Lane not get killed, not only did Edge threaten to kill him, not only did he not get more support from his benefactor, but now someone was causing some shit.

He saw his men down on the ground. They were all sliced to ribbons with a brutal fury. Mannheim entered his office to grab a gun from the desk.

Only he saw an assassin clad in green with a Cheshire cat mask lounging on his desk in the most casual manner.

"Mr. Mannheim, we need have words," she said.

"Yeah, well you didn't finish off Lois Lane, so you better scram out of my office, before I have to rough you up," Mannheim said.

The woman on the desk seemed highly amused. Her laughter didn't cease, before her eyes snapped towards Mannheim.

"You're nothing but a pathetic little man."

She knocked Mannheim against the wall like he was nothing. A sword was close to his throat.

"And your check bounced, that was not smart of you."

For the second time in about an hour, Bruno Mannheim looked death in the eye and he blinked.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on July 23** **rd** **, 2015.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Lock and Load.**

* * *

Mannheim's enemy backed him into the corner and looked terrified when this individual was closing in on him. Cheshire closed in on taking him out once and for all. She acted like a predator that was about ready to take out her prey and that terrified him. The cold flesh of a knife pressed up against the side of his neck and he winced.

"Look, can't we talk this over," Mannheim said. He pulled himself out of the way.

Cheshire smirked, matching the smile underneath her mask, with the expression underneath her mask. "There's no talking, you tried to screw me over."

She blocked his way through the exit with ease. He reached into his coat, and ripped the gun out of his hand. The dangerous assassin drilled him with a knee to the groin and doubled over. She went behind him and placed the knife against the back of his neck.

"You don't know what you're doing," Mannheim breathed. "You don't know what you're doing."

"I think you'll find that I do know what I'm doing," Cheshire said. She wanted to hear him try and bullshit his way out of death. "Perhaps you do have a good explanation why my check didn't clear."

"It was Edge…it was Morgan Edge…he must have found a way to cut me off," Mannheim said. It was obvious that Cheshire was not taking this BS to be honest. He tried to get away from her, but she stood on his hands, forcing him. "He is the one you should be going for….I didn't…."

"But, you were the one that made the agreement," Cheshire said. She slammed him up against the wall and caused him to grimace. "Sounds to me like you're nothing but a punk who can't handle responsibility. Is that the case, Mr. Mannheim?"

Mannheim shivered when he felt her knee drill into her. The next action resulted in the knife the knife pressed up against his throat. She shifted it against him. The sickening embrace of cold steal reared its ugly head.

"You don't know the type of people that I have access to," Mannheim said. "I could make your life really difficult."

"Could you?" she asked. She looked extremely bemused and continued to press the blade hard against his neck. "You're men worked so well out there, didn't they?"

Cheshire slammed the blade into his shoulder. She hit a gusher on his shoulder and he fell to the ground in pain.

"Time to take my payment, with interest," Cheshire said. She lifted her knife and tried to stab Mannheim in the back of her neck. He was pathetic, and he needed to be put out of her misery.

An arrow flew out of the shadows and nailed the knife out of her hand. The knife clattered to the ground. Slowly, Cheshire turned around, leaving Mannheim to bleed to death. The assassin leaned and went face to face with the Green Arrow.

"You again, honestly?" Cheshire asked. "You couldn't quit while you were ahead."

She ran up the wall and flipped over the Green Arrow when she charged her. The Green Arrow spiraled head over heels and landed down on the ground.

Cheshire delivered a roundhouse kick and slammed herself into the face of her enemy.

The door burst open and a large armored clad person was plowed into the ground by Supergirl. Cheshire raised her eyebrow.

A miniature rocket blasted through the office door and slammed against the back wall, sending the debris flying everywhere.

Kara turned to Artemis, without missing a beat. "We've got a problem."

"Yes, I noticed," Artemis said. She turned her attention away from her sister and Mannheim, and towards the very real threat there was a gigantic fucking tank coming after her.

It was not the best thing in the world, to be honest, but it was what, what it was. Artemis watched the tank approach them. She wondered where Red Arrow turned up to.

"Take them down!" one of the Intergang members yelled.

Kara shot at them like a cork, which caused their fire to be misdirected to each other. The Intergang goons used their weapons on each other. The weapons might be high tech, but their brains were certainly not high tech.

She fired a super-fast punch at her enemy knocking him onto her back. A rapid fire series of punches rocked her enemy.

Kara could not even enjoy what she was doing, because there was a tank behind her. Artemis fired an arrow against some rickety scaffolding. The arrow blew up the scaffolding, causing the Intergang punks to fall to their doom.

Three arrows fired out and struck the tank, causing it to be covered into a sticky substance. It's movement was blocked and Kara flew forward. She slammed into the tank as hard as she could.

The tank was ripped open and the Intergang goon was ripped out of the tank. She punched at him repeatedly, before driving him down to the ground with a vicious spike like movement.

Unfortunately, the problems just started. There were two things that were obvious right now.

The first thing was Cheshire slipped away in the confusion, which left Mannheim to die on his own accord. The second thing was that Intergang turned their full attention towards the heroes.

They didn't really care about the fate of their boss to be honest. Kara figured that much out when they nearly blew a missile through his office with his bleeding body inside. She turned around to see a second tank, which looked more durable than the one that she took out last time.

* * *

Cheshire kept running. She pulled back into this life after a few years of being out of it, and while it should be easy to take out some bastard like Mannheim, she wavered.

A few years ago, Cheshire wouldn't have stalled. She wouldn't have hesitated. She wouldn't have talked. She would have gone straight for the kill shot.

To borrow a phrase, she was the best in the world at what she did, and what she did wasn't very nice at all. In fact, it was kind of awful to be honest. She was not a nice person, that much was for certain.

Cheshire made her way to the top of the roof top. The smoke coming from Mannheim's warehouse indicated quite a fight broke out.

"Why did you have to get involved?" Cheshire asked. She practically swore underneath her breath. "You just have to complicate things. Always, you have to complicate things!"

She slammed her fist against the wall and that bloodied her knuckles in response. Cheshire winced. She was waiting for the obvious phone call.

Cheshire wondered why the anticipation always seemed to be worse than the actual event. It most certainly did a good job of driving her up a wall.

The phone rang and she picked it up. She waited for the person on the other end of the phone to talk to her.

"Did you get it done?" the man on the other end of the phone asked.

"Ran into a slight problem," Cheshire said.

"The Green Arrow stopping you for the third time this week is more than a slight problem, Cheshire," the voice on the other end of the phone said. "You left Mannheim live. You stalled….you complicated things."

Cheshire sneered. This bastard really knew how to stick it to her when she felt her lowest.

"Maybe I did, but…..Intergang and the Arrow and Supergirl are going to finish each other off, so we still came out ahead," Cheshire said. She folded her arms. "I don't see why….."

"In another time, you would have been able to finish off the Green Arrow," the distorted voice said. "Anyone who wears that hood is an enemy to us…..and it's a problem that you keep allowing to happen. Remember, you know what's at stake…don't you?"

Cheshire gritted her teeth and responded. "Yes, I do."

It took every fiber of self-control she had, which wasn't really much, not to spit out a rather prominent, "you bastards". Cheshire resisted any temptation, struggling with all her might.

"I trust we're not going to have any problems with you getting the job done," the man on the other end of the phone said. "We also require you to carry out the other part of the mission. Meet at the rendezvous point in three days, and you'll get further instructions."

Cheshire nodded in response. She knew that the situation in the League got perilous, with the different factions scrapping.

"Remember, she's safe as long as we're pleased with your efforts," the distorted voice added. "You're going to take out the Green Arrow and anyone else who is foolish enough to continue Queen's crusade. He paid for what he did to the League, and all will do the same who pick up his crusade."

"I understand," Cheshire said.

This particular faction of the League didn't really play nice, and the sad thing is that there were some factions of the League that were worse.

Cheshire spotted a man who tried to steal a woman's purse. He succeeded. Cheshire didn't fancy herself as a hero, but she needed an excuse to take her frustrations out on someone. Taking careful aim with the knife, she flung it hard.

The knife caught the would be mugger in the back of his head. The mugger dropped to the ground.

Cheshire slipped off into the shadows. She cursed Artemis for putting her in the position that she was forced to be put into. Her employers were losing their patience with her and them losing their patience was not an ideal place to be.

The assassin's relief trickled slowly in at the thought the Super Friends and Mannheim's gang fought each other.

* * *

Artemis bounced off of the wall and avoided a rocket launcher. She flipped down onto the ground and avoided the missile being blown through the ground. The skilled archer drew back her bow and started to fire at it.

"Running out," Artemis grunted.

She could see Supergirl fling several fire grenades into the air and she detonated them with her heat vision.

"Okay, that was pretty cool," Red Arrow said.

"Speedy, focus," Artemis warned her. She had to take her own advice now.

"Red Arrow," she fired back. She shot one of the goons in the knee. Unfortunately, he still had two working arms which allowed the Intergang goon to aim the rocket launcher. "Okay, you've got to be….."

A cart flung at the goon at super speed. Kara backed up against the wall and kicked him right in the face with a series of violent attacks. He was covered in armor. Outside the armor, he was very squishy, but inside the armor, he was pretty normal all things considered.

She jumped up high in the air and plowed the side of his neck. The man's knees went down from underneath him.

"Tank!" Red Arrow yelled. Sure enough, there was another tank going at them. "Where do a bunch of street goons even need with a tank?"

That was a good question and Kara thought that she had what she felt was the most ideal answer for it. "You know….I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure that it's just to make my life a living hell."

She aimed a punch at the tank and she slammed into it. It took a few more punches to get it weakened. At least enough for Green Arrow to take her shot and what a shot it was.

The driver was taken out and Kara made her way inside, disabling the controls of the tank. She dropped to her knees and breathed. The weapons were meant to hurt her and that much was proven by the red raw hands that she had, and the scratches.

"Are you okay?" Red Arrow asked.

"Merely a flesh wound," Kara grumbled.

"I've been at this long enough to know that's really not all that reassuring," she answered. Kara turned towards her, giving her the side eye. She frowned in response. "I mean, I'm just saying, that's all."

"I know that you are," Kara agreed. She rubbed her fingers together and frowned. This wasn't going to be the best day for her at all.

She looked around and the Kryptonian's super hearing picked up groaning in Mannheim's office. She made her way inside the office and could see his broken body lying in the rubble. It was a shock that he didn't succumb to the wounds just yet.

Arrow hovered over Mannheim. It was going to be too easy to take him out. In fact, she could do it just now.

A loud set of sirens stopped her from putting one final arrow in Mannheim's head. The MCU were here, right on the doorstep of Mannheim's hideout.

"You better get out of here," Kara told them. "You're public enemy number one and two likely."

The Arrows made themselves scarce and left Kara to turn around and see Maggie Sawyer approaching her. Maggie frowned when she showed up in front of Kara and she spoke in a calm manner. "You know, we really should stop meeting like this."

"Maybe we should start meeting under better circumstances," Kara replied. "Mannheim's in there somewhere, he's in pretty bad shape….don't think that he's going to make it without medical attention. Likely, he ran into some really bad people."

"The Arrow?" Maggie asked.

"Not exactly," Kara said. "Someone that the Arrow chased down, and she didn't take too kindly to what Mannheim was doing. In fact, by the looks of things, it seems like Mannheim stiffed her on a business deal."

The EMTs needed to be here to resolve this particular situation. A fair amount of evidence pointing to Mannheim's role in several seedy operations laid around. Kara wasn't sure that even he, in all of his tricky glory, could pull out something that would clear his name, as devious as said name was.

That wasn't Kara's concern to be honest. Her concern amounted to this area as quickly as she potentially could and to pick up any straggling goons.

Kara stopped and could see the Arrow standing on the rooftop, watching the scene. Seconds later, she disappeared into the night, without a trace. Kara had to admit that she was pretty good. Not good enough for Kara not to deduce her secret identity, but never the less, she was pretty good.

Today, a good blow had been dealt to Intergang and Kara couldn't help, but be pleased by that. Kara flew off to get changed. She was going to head to the hospital to check up on Lois, to make sure she was doing fine.

* * *

"I just saw something very interesting earlier," Chloe said when she met Kara at the entrance of the hospital. "Bruno Mannheim was checked into the hospital, in all of his….well I wouldn't want to say glory, but he was never the less checked in."

Chloe wanted answers and Kara apparently could give her said answers. The two women made their way down the hallway, making quick strides.

"Mannheim pissed off an assassin," Kara informed her. "The same assassin that he tried to lose to off Lois…apparently there was a dispute over payment, or something. We got there just in time to see her stabbing Mannheim in the shoulder, and she was about ready to go in for the kill."

"Pity you weren't just about fifteen seconds later," Chloe said.

Kara didn't want to say it out loud, but Chloe showed herself to be right again. The perky blonde's statement underlined the biggest problem with being the hero.. You had to do the right thing, no matter how much it sucked. Granted, Kara's morals were a bit more liberated than Claire's were, and she was not going to jump in too quickly and stop a criminal from offing himself thanks to a healthy does of his own stupidity.

"Well we were there, and Intergang showed up," Kara said. "Mannheim's lost a lot of favor, apparently."

"Well, that much is sure, he's been screwing up left and right lately," Chloe said. "The tech shipments from his company the Royal Flush Gang stole, that didn't help."

Kara knew what Chloe figured and that was Morgan Edge was still pulling the strings, at least from a distance.

The two of them didn't say much more, rather they needed to visit Lois. Lois was sitting up in bed, looking rather sour.

"I can't believe this, I feel fine," Lois said. She turned to Chloe. "Don't they listen? I want to be out of here yesterday, but they want to keep me in here for another day, to make sure that there aren't no residual side effects of the poison."

"I'm sure that they're doing their job Lois," Kara said. She looked amused by how annoyed Lois looked.

"You sound like your cousin," Lois replied. That caused the amused look to wash straight off of Kara's face. "She was pretty much saying the same thing. This time, it wasn't completely my fault that I got attacked."

Chloe raised her eyebrow and looked at Kara. It was pretty obvious that neither of them were touching that point.

"Well, for once, she's right," Claire said. She turned up at the door and looked over Lois. "You know, you could have almost died. Aren't you the least bit concerned about that?"

"Yes, mother, I'm concerned," Lois said in a biting sarcastic voice.

"Well at least we know she's feeling mostly better," Chloe said.

"Kara, a word if you please?" Claire asked.

Kara barely avoided groaning at what Claire said and she knew that Claire was going to give her an earful. She wasn't really in the mood for it.

She followed Claire halfway out the doorway. Kara decided to go into this situation about as cool and collected as a person could be. Which honestly wasn't all that cool or all that collected. But she had to make the effort to do so.

"Yes, Claire, what do you need?" Kara asked in a polite voice.

"There's a new Green Arrow," Claire said. "And she's been making her mark on Intergang."

"Not just Intergang, but other petty criminals," Kara informed her.

"Yes, and she's been killing them," Claire said in a disapproving tone of voice.

"Yes, she's been killing them," Kara confirmed. "Granted, I'm not too happy about it but…..not everyone could be a girl scout who fights for truth, justice, and the American way."

"She's going to make what we do look bad," Claire informed her. Kara raised her eyebrow. "Just stop and think about it for a minute, Kara, she's going to….."

"You really think that, don't you?" Kara asked.

"There's a lot of tensions out there, maybe you should lay off a little bit," Claire said. "Mannheim's in the hospital, that has to put Intergang out of commission for a long time."

Kara's frown deepened, obviously, "Maybe it does, but there are other branches of Intergang. And Mannheim's partners are what I'm more worried about."

One fact proved to be true. Claire knew that she was not going to win this argument with Kara. She was stubborn, kind of like Claire before she lost her powers. If she had listened to Helena, she might still have them.

Dwelling on the matter now resulted in a futile and pointless argument.

"There were some very dangerous people who were after Lois," Claire said. "You know, they could come after you."

"I can handle myself, thank you," Kara said.

"That's what I said before I…before that day," Claire said. This conversation was practically the same one that she and Helena had. Only she was Helena and Kara was her.

Kara didn't say anything, but unlike Claire, she could handle herself without her powers. She checked her watch. "I have a class in about fifteen minutes….you don't want me to miss it, do you?"

Claire shook her head in negative; she didn't want that for Kara. It was obvious that the two of them were going to discuss this again later.

* * *

Thea Queen thought that the triple life she was living perfectly defined insanity. There was the party girl, there was the college student, and there was the Red Arrow. All three of them were tripping over each other. She ambled around the penthouse she and Artemis shared, wearing nothing but an extremely short silk bathrobe that went up to her thighs.

Thea shook her head. She didn't know how Ollie pulled it off sometimes. No wonder he slept with pretty much everything that had a pulse and in one unfortunate case, something that didn't have one. Granted, it was a really hot vampire chick, but still, she technically didn't have a pulse. And she was psychotic and wanted to steal her brother's bank account. But that was another story for another time.

Thea walked down the hallway, feeling the aches and pains of battle. It didn't help that Artemis put her through the ringer and that was after their training as well. She craned her neck. A good hot bath might be appropriate now more than ever before. A good hot bath would actually be pretty good at hitting the spot to be honest. Her neck felt like it ached something fierce. Some of those positions should not be possible.

She checked her cell phone. Messages from Patricia Swann and Helena Wayne regarding business, a reminder she had an interview with Claire Kent from the Daily Planet next Wednesday. Things she could get to in the morning.

"So, is your partner around?"

"She should be back in a couple of hours," Thea said. She smiled when Supergirl dropped down onto the balcony. "I was making a cup of coffee. Would you care to join me?"

* * *

 **To Be Continued on July 29** **th** **, 2015.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: Broken Arrow.**

* * *

Thea stepped back and allowed Kara to come inside. No real reason to not allow Kara inside after all. She looked at the blonde who entered the room and Kara smiled in response. Thea returned the smile, although it was a bit weaker. She stifled the yawn that she was trying to keep in. A cup of coffee would do wonders to perk her up, perhaps a bit too much.

"Rough night?" Kara asked.

Thea's eyes glazed over and glared at Kara. Kara snickered looking at the blonde.

"Other than the obvious, yeah, it's been a long last couple of days," Thea said. "None all of us have super powers….so sleep is needed. Even if it's not a luxury, it's needed."

Kara wasn't going to say that she did need some sleep, although not as much. She wasn't tired when she didn't get it, but she was a really joy to be around.

"So, where is your partner in crime?" Kara asked. Thea handed her a cup of coffee and she walked over to the couch.

Several seconds past before she said anything, and in the meantime, Kara caught a tantalizing hint of her thighs flipping out from underneath the nightshirt. She barely kept the grin off of her face and leaned back.

"She's here and there," Thea confirmed. She sighed when she sat down on the couch. There were days where she wondered about this line of work. "I think that she said she should be back by morning. Not that's a guarantee if she's popped across a hot lead."

"You're worried that she's a bit obsessed about this entire Cheshire thing, aren't you?" Kara asked.

Thea lifted the cup of coffee and took a lengthy sip of it. She smiled when she looked at Kara.

"Well, I would never say it to her face. I think that you figured out how she could get when she's….well when she's pushed."

"Yeah, I noticed," Kara said. She experienced the joy of three arrows to the back. They did absolutely nothing, but still, she was shot in the back. "I guess the three of us worked rather well together."

"Well, I think that as problematic as Cheshire, your deal with Intergang is just as important," Thea said. She drained about half of her cup of coffee in two big gulps. "With Mannheim in the hospital….well, I think that I would be an idiot to say that…."

"Mannheim might be a leader, but he's not the leader," Kara said.

She figured out a long time ago, despite how much of a big mouth and a blowhard that Mannheim was, the leader of Intergang was Morgan Edge. Claire might have put him away, but he was still calling the shots with the comforts the taxpayers paid for.

"I know you ask this question a lot but….how is your cousin?" Thea asked. Kara gave her a look. "Ollie always spoke highly of her….even though he couldn't quite get into her panties. He enjoyed the challenge, I guess, and she didn't bat for that team."

"No," Kara confirmed. "She didn't."

Thea noticed sidestepped around that question with all of the tact and sophistication of a well-focused politician.

Kara noticed Thea noticed.

"Claire…she's taking the loss of her powers pretty hard, and I'm sure the fact that a few of her friends and her father dying didn't really help with her mindset as well," Kara said. "And at one time…she could have counted Lex in that group at one point as well."

"Luthor turned out to be a creep, didn't he?" Thea asked.

"Luthor…had his fair share of demons and was a genius and obsessed," Kara said. "And speaking of obsessed….she's out hunting Cheshire right now, isn't she?"

Thea slumped in her seat and hesitation gripped the woman. The gaze Kara gave her would be about as penetrating as it would be, even without any kind of X-Ray vision. That caused her to shiver, a numbness going down her spine when Kara looked at her.

"Thea?" Kara asked her.

"Yes….I guess," Thea responded. "Well, I don't know for sure, but….she didn't really tell me one way or another."

Kara frowned and another question burned the tip of the young girl's tongue. Thea jumped in to answer it.

"I don't get in the middle of family business," Thea said. "I've got more than enough of a messed up dynamic on my own family tree."

Kara decided she needed to keep a close eye on the close situation. She finished the cup of coffee before it got too cold. Then again, it didn't taste right to Kara, unless it was completely hot.

"The real question is, how are you holding up?" Kara asked.

"Fair," Thea confirmed. Kara raised her eyebrow. "I have to admit, hunting down bad guys and putting arrows through them is an interesting way to relieve stress. I can see why my brother did it….and once I learned the points that can cause the most amount of damage without being lethal, it really gave me piece of mind. Especially given what some of these sick fucks have done."

"I can teach you a few more, if you want me," Kara said. "Does Artemis know?"

Thea chose her next few words carefully.

"Artemis is a bit more liberal about where she shoots those arrows, you know."

Kara figured as much but she had to be for certain.

* * *

Morgan Edge chilled in his vacation suite that was compliments of the tax payers of Metropolis. He didn't want to say that he was on top of the world, but he was in fact, on top of the world. He felt like nothing could touch him now.

One of his men made his way to the edge of the cell. Edge kicked back and relaxed when the guard led his way into room.

"Let him in, Joe, and tell your son, that Uncle Morgan said hello," Edge replied.

Joe the Security Guard looked at him with a smile and asked, "How long do you think that you're going to be in here?"

Edge responded with a swift shrug of his shoulders, "I really don't know how long I'll be in here, long enough, I think."

He responded with a dry chuckle in response, which Joe returned. The man entered the cell and sat down next to Edge.

"So, Mannheim still wormed his way out of it," Edge said. The goon cracked his knuckles and looked at his boss.

"You want me to take care of him, boss?" the goon asked.

Mannheim shook his head.

"Nah, don't worry about it….we've got far more important things to worry about," the mob boss declared.

"I don't understand, Mannheim has been defying your orders left and right, and you want to let the bastard go?" the goon asked. He could see Edge's eyes flicker over his face and the goon sat up straight. "Not that I'm doing the same thing boss, it's just that….."

"Nah, it's fine, I get where you're coming from," Edge said. He reached in the cabinet and poured him and his stooge from Mannheim's organization a glass of wine a piece. "Drink some of this, it really hits the spot."

The goon would have to agree. The wine tickled the back of his throat when he drank it, shaking his head.

"Good shit, isn't it?" Edge asked. "So, I'm sure you're wondering why I didn't put a cap in Mannheim's ass when I had a chance?"

The goon nodded, the thought crossed his mind. Edge raised the glass up and took a long swig of it. He drank it in a couple of intense gulps and smiled. The goon shrugged and downed the less of his drink.

"Mannheim is like a dog, sometimes he misbehaves," Edge informed the goon. The goon responded by nodding in response. "You got to smack him on the nose with the end of the newspaper to make sure he gets back in line, and smack him hard."

"I see," the goon answered. "So, you wanted to send him a message."

"Yes," Edge agreed. "And a message doesn't quite sink in well enough if the person you're sending the message to is dead, do you get what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I get what you're saying," the goon responded with a brisk and extremely crisp nod. "So, what's the plan moving forward?"

"Mannheim lost an entire shipment to the Royal Flush Gang, and the King is a coma, Jack is dying of poisoning, and Ten and Queen are both locked up," Edge said. "Therefore, the only way we can get that shipment back is to hunt down the final member of the Royal Flush Gang."

"That being Ace," the goon confirmed.

Edge would have clapped for him if it didn't look so undignified.

"You're catching on pretty fast, aren't you? Keep doing that, and you're going to go into some high places pretty fast."

There was no question about it, the goon looked pretty happy at this point. The goon failed to realize his boss insulted him something fierce. Edge reached over, pouring the contents of the bottle into a glass and pushing it in front of the goon.

"Have another drink, it's going to be a long drive to Gotham," Edge said.

The goon blanched when he realized what Edge said.

"Gotham?" the goon asked.

Edge gave him a slight smile and he could see the man growing nervous.

"You're not terrified about going into Gotham, are you?"

"No sir, I'm not," the man said. "But what about Gotham?"

"That's where word in the street that Ace took Intergang's shipment, he might be selling them to that fat bastard Cobblepot or that other fat bastard Thorne," Edge said. He drank his wine. "I want to see why Mannheim thinks himself to be untouchable. That tech would be useful in the hands of a faction of Intergang that actually knows what they're doing."

The goon would have to agree. He was going to have to gather some men and take a field trip to Gotham City.

* * *

Green Arrow dropped down and monitored the surroundings around her. While she was hunting down Cheshire, there was another thing that she was following. Namely the fact she was pretty sure that she had reached one of Mannheim's strongholds.

She pushed one of the doors open and made her way inside the warehouse. It was completely barren.

Artemis stepped forward, picking up one of the boxes. She opened it up, to reveal nothing but some dusty old records. It was one of the last things that she would have expected to come across in this factory.

Someone cleared everything out in the factory. Artemis spotted a guard snoozing against the a chair on the wall. His box of donuts rested on his lap and there was a cup of coffee.

Artemis stepped over and slid her finger into the cup of coffee. It was still warm, which meant the guard had just got here and decided to properly go to sleep. She shook her head, rubbing the side of her neck.

Artemis glanced at a busted section of the wall. She saw a broken plate on the ground. It looked like a dinner plate of some sort.

' _Curious,'_ she thought to herself.

The archer lifted up the broken piece of the plate and held it in her hands. She clutched it and looked over it, her frown deepening. Things got curious and even more curious when she walked over. The broken plate touched against the wall. Sparks flew when it slid into the wall. The wall cracked open.

A set of stairs revealed themselves, leading down to another section of the warehouse. It looked like this crummy warehouse was built over the top of an advanced facility.

Artemis stepped down the steps. She armed herself and there was a few seconds where she waited. The bow was armed and ready to go.

"Make sure you get this out, the boys on the East end could use relief, if Supergirl sticks her nose into our business."

Artemis frowned and she lifted the bow. It kept hovering in her hand and she shot it. The arrow fired into the back of the knee of the goon.

The other goon turned around, shining the flashlight at Artemis. She shot the arrow through his wrist and caused him to drop the flashlight.

Artemis stepped forward and could see a large tank. It was like the tank she encountered during the fight with Intergang with Supergirl.

The emerald-clad archer grabbed a box and busted it open. There were a set of thermal explosive devices. Artemis had an idea. She could make Intergang's life so much more difficult if she had brought this entire place down.

Artemis could figure out the explosives rather handily. She set them up in the lab and set the timer on them.

Okay, the timer wasn't in English, or any sort of language she was able to comprehend, but still.

There was a whoosh and Artemis turned around. She could see a hooded figure moving in the shadows.

She fired three arrows in quick succession, but the hooded individual avoided the arrows before they were put through his back.

Green Arrow followed him and suddenly, he disappeared. He appeared and then he was gone, just like that.

The Arrow's eyebrow raised when she stepped up the stairs. The explosives made some weird noises and she needed to move quickly.

Artemis cleared the edge of the warehouse. There was a loud hiss and an explosion went off. She threw herself in front of a parked truck to avoid getting hit with the debris.

The explosion created a large flaming hole in the middle of Metropolis, but at least Intergang wouldn't be using those particular weapons. There was one final problem and that was that the hooded figure disappeared.

She frowned and looked over her shoulder. He was on the rooftop across from the factory again. Artemis caught sight of his purple robe, and his sinister demeanor.

"Oh no, you're not getting away from me, not this time," she replied. She launched herself up on the building.

A flash of light indicated her enemy disappeared. That left Artemis standing there with her hands on her hips again, and her arrow pointing at pretty much no one in particular.

She moved off, having more questions, and not too many answers. She wondered if this robed figure was Intergang's mysterious benefactor. Actually, that would have made a sufficient amount of sense to be honest.

* * *

Kara arrived in front of the Intergang stronghold, or at least what was once an Intergang stronghold. She dropped down onto the ground, her mouth opened when she looked at the flames.

"So, I guess that our archer vigilante has beaten you to the punch?" Chloe asked her.

"One could say that, yes," Kara said. She held her breath in and blew it out, putting out the fire. "Well, I think that this was a rather obvious Intergang facility, where they hid some of their weapons."

"Was?" Chloe asked, raising her eyebrow.

"After Artemis went through it, it wasn't any more," Kara said. She folded her arms. "And I thought that I was impulsive."

"Claire wouldn't let you hear the end of it if you ever admitted that you were impulsive to her face," Chloe commented in a half teasing tone.

"Yes, I know that, hence why you're not going to say a word to her," Kara said. She scanned the area with a tracer device. "She's pretty reckless here; there are some high tech explosives she was using. She was lucky that she didn't nuke the entire city block. What is it about a hood that makes people insane?"

Kara let out her breath a long sigh. The ranting finally ceased.

"I don't know what to tell you about that," Chloe said. She paused. "So, are you going to give her a lecture? Or are you just going to spank her?"

Before Kara could say anything, the Green Arrow turned up. She stepped forward and Kara flew towards her.

"We have a problem," Artemis said. Kara raised her eyebrow. "I had no idea that was going to happen for the record. I thought that the entire base would just explode, not go complete inferno."

"Weapons in there that could take me down, remember," Kara said. She placed her hands on her hips, and she resembled Claire when she got in trouble. "Is this how Queen taught you how to operate?"

"I thought that I'm pretty subdued when compared to Ollie, or rather how he started out," Artemis said. Kara looked at her and Artemis thought for sure she was going to burn underneath Kara's heat vision. "Okay, I messed up a little bit; it's not that you haven't made any mistakes when you're out there."

Kara's expression softened and she placed a hand gently upon Artemis's shoulder.

"Just a reference for the future, don't mess with any mysterious alien explosives, especially if you don't know what they do."

"Noted, so much," Artemis agreed. She sighed. That was a step that she didn't want to take all that much in the future. "But, anyway, we still got a problem. There is some hooded guy….yes I know that doesn't necessarily narrow it down. But there was some hooded guy skulking around outside, causing trouble."

Kara pursed her lips and allowed a "hmm" to cross her lips. Artemis blinked. She wasn't sure if that was a good "hmm" or a bad "hmm". Regardless, Kara looked extremely thoughtful when she let those words from her lips.

"Very interesting," Kara said. "That guy could be giving Mannheim his goods…suspect we won't know….as long as Mannheim is in the hospital, and that wasn't a suggestion to bust in there."

Artemis figured that it wasn't. She might have been bold, brazen, and everything in between, but suicidal, she was not. Her arms crossed together with each other and she frowned.

"And I'm no closer to stopping my sister, or whatever she's after," Artemis commented. Kara raised her eyebrow and gave Artemis a look of warning. "And I'm not dropping it."

"At least go in there smarter, and don't think with your quiver," Kara replied.

She stopped and noticed something that had not been destroyed by the wreckage. She assumed that the explosive devices would have taken care of everything. But, she was wrong.

A mysterious black box laid in the wreckage. The circuits were damaged from the blast, but Kara could see that it was some kind of communication device. It could very well be the means that Intergang was communicating with whoever their benefactor was.

It was the first really good lead that she found all night. Kara scooped up the box and looked for a way to active it. It looked to be really fried.

A small part of Kara wondered if this was left here on purpose. She frowned and guessed that she would figure that out right now. Turning around, Kara didn't see Artemis there.

"She didn't even give you a goodbye kiss," Chloe commented. "That was kind of rude of her."

Kara didn't say anything. She had a lead, the first lead to this entire mess. Hope filled the alien heroine; she might be able to crack the code of this box in the Fortress of Solitude.

She figured out why Artemis left suddenly. The MCU were on the way and considering the Arrow was high on the public enemy number one list, they would not take too kindly to the presence of the hooded vigilante.

* * *

The Green Arrow thought after this long time, it was time for her to return home. She figured that she would leave Supergirl to her discovery. If it didn't get destroyed, despite her reckless effort, then it must be something extremely dangerous. At least that was her assumption.

The MCU approaching the scene caused her to flee obviously.

She was close to the penthouse, but suddenly, something dropped down on the back of her head. It was so quick and so sudden, Artemis didn't notice it. She buckled to her hands and knees.

Struggling up, she turned around. In time for Cheshire to drill her with a vicious roundhouse kick to the face. Cheshire bent down, wrapping her fingers around the throat of Artemis and hurling her against the wall.

"You just had to slip the hood on and be a hero, didn't you?" Cheshire asked. She turned Artemis over who struggled. "I should kill you….but I'm going to give you one more chance."

She didn't want to kill Artemis, and Artemis knew that Cheshire didn't want to kill her. She struggled and squirmed when Cheshire forced her knee down onto the back of Artemis's arm.

"Stay out of this," Cheshire said. She wrenched the arm back and caused it to crack underneath her weight.

Artemis realized Cheshire broke her arm. She turned over and felt Cheshire stand on her chest. She must have suffered some broken ribs, because it hurt like hell. Blood spilled from her mouth as well. There was something that coated Cheshire's finger tips and she realized that it must have been poison of some sort.

"You won't die….you can be treated, and the MCU will find you," Cheshire said. "I'm only doing this because I love you. But your vigilante days are over."

She raked her finger nails down Artemis's neck. She felt the poison slowly seep through her body. All of her muscles had been paralyzed and the sounds of footsteps had been amplified around her on the city streets of Metropolis.

Artemis couldn't believe it, it was going to end. She couldn't even raise her pinky finger. The MCU would find her, she would be exposed, and then, it would be all over. Her crusade to clean up crime would be over before it would even begin.

The loud wailing of sirens felt like her skull was cracking. Artemis screamed when she passed out.

A slim hand grabbed her and lifted her off the ground before trafficking her off. Artemis's head throbbed and a splitting headache ruptured in her head.

"Oh my god, what happened?"

* * *

 **To Be Continued on August 3** **rd** **, 2015.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: The Darkside of Me Part One.**

* * *

The last couple of months, and even before the last couple of months come to think of it, proved to be one never ending roller coaster ride of insanity for Caitlin Snow. The doctors of Metropolis General hospital checked her over. While she had control of herself, she always feared there would be more break and she would relapse back into Killer Frost territory. The girl feared being dragged over to the edge.

Caitlin sat perfectly still when her doctor was looking carefully over her. The doctors checked her over for anything out of the ordinary. Her blood pressure read as normal, her vital signs registered as health, and best of all, her body temperature checked in at the normal rate. The last part made Caitlin smile just a little bit.

"So, is there any bad news?" she asked. She almost regretted asking the question, because it seldom led to good places.

The doctor raised her eyebrow and shook her head.

"No, Doctor Snow, you're completely fine. Actually, you're better then fine. Your progress is remarkable, and….you haven't had any relapses."

Caitlin didn't want to address the obvious elephant in the room. The scientist thought she could be able to tap into her powers and control them. However, was tapping out of her powers really something she felt the need to do? If she used them for one thing or another, Caitlin feared a lapse back into old habits. She heard far too many horror stories and had dealt with meta-humans and meteor mutants pretty much up close and personal for as long as she could remember.

"That's good, I feel like I'm always over the edge," Caitlin said.

"How are the dreams?" her doctor asked

Caitlin paused and considered her next few words. Good question, come to think of it.

"They're….less prolific. I still get them, but it's only once every few days, and not every week."

"It was Anthony Ivo who was responsible for everything you did, he manipulated you," her doctor said. Caitlin sighed. The doctor patted her on the hand. "And you have a visitor….someone who has been wanting to see you for a long time."

Caitlin sat back and her mouth opened in surprise. She hadn't been cleared for visitors….well Supergirl, Kara, she stopped by every now and again to check up on her. The heroine had not stopped by for a little bit. Caitlin understood she had a city to protect, and therefore she couldn't be by often. Caitlin envied the fact she could use her powers for good, and not be burdened with them.

"If you're up for a visitor, she wants to see you," the doctor said.

She didn't want to do anything to overwhelm or excite her patient after all.

"Yes, of course I am!" Caitlin said.

The door opened and a red haired woman dressed in a snazzy female business suit entered the hospital room. Caitlin smiled at a familiar face.

"Doctor Swann, I'm…."

"Caitlin, we've known each other since before we both got our Doctorates," Patricia said.

Caitlin hung her head and frowned.

"Right, Patricia, sorry, I've got a lot on my mind," Caitlin said. A chilling feeling rolled back her back. "You're not here to fire me, are you?"

Patricia looked at the woman. The woman placed her hand down on Caitlin's shoulder.

"Of course, not. What happened was a tragic accident, and one I feel bad for it….."

"You shouldn't feel bad, though!" Caitlin said. "You didn't know what kind of experiments would happen there, even though….well even though what happened happened."

"Yes, I know it," Patricia said. She looked Caitlin straight in the eye and smiled. "I was thinking I could offer you your old job back at STAR Labs."

Caitlin frowned and the obvious question popped into her mind.

"Are you sure you shouldn't be in this hospital bed? Well not in the same hospital bed…..but still, are you sure you're feeling up to par?"

"I'm feeling fine," Patricia said. "Sure, I got attacked a couple of weeks ago, but….."

"You were attacked?" Caitlin asked. She was surprised by the point Patricia made so casually. "By whom, and why?"

"The Royal Flush Gang, and they wanted notes regarding…a project we were doing," Patricia said. She sighed. "You know, I should really look into getting a bodyguard."

"Are you sure this isn't an excuse to get Supergirl to save you?" Caitlin asked her.

Patricia fired back with a smile on her face.

"Well, she became your own personal savor. She told me she's been visiting you."

"People noticed she's flown by STAR labs fairly often," Caitlin said. "People are starting to talk about you and her."

"Well, people talked about me and you as well, for years," Patricia said.

The lights flickered around the hospital room. Patricia frowned and clenched her fist.

"Don't mind the lights, they're old," Caitlin said.

Suddenly, the lights went out with a pop and a crack. They came back on a second later.

A green robed assassin wearing a white mask joined them. She held a dagger at Patricia's neck. Several dark robed assassins surrounded them. The doctor and the security guards were down on the ground.

"Doctor Swann, you're coming with us," Cheshire said.

She pinched Patricia on the shoulder. Seconds later, Patricia slumped onto the ground.

The lights flickered a few more seconds, leaving a shell shocked Caitlin Snow sitting there. Her friend had been taken and she had no choice, but to call in help.

* * *

Artemis sat up and winced . Kara saved her, cured the poison, and rescued her from the tender mercies of the MCU. She winced when Kara kept running her hand over her shoulder.

"You were rather lucky to not be captured," Kara said.

"Sloppy, it won't happen again," Artemis said. She turned her attention to Thea. "And there's no need to sit there with the "I told you so" look on your face, because….."

"What did you expect was going to happen when you went out their all half cocked?" Thea asked. "You could have at least waited until I helped you."

"Well, time is not a luxury I have with Cheshire," Artemis said.

Artemis's efforts ended in some broken ribs and a busted up arm. She stepped into the lion's den and got burned. She raised her neck and turned it with a frown. The injuries pained her, but everything might turn out for the worst.

' _The rally cry of the insane person,'_ Artemis thought. _'Everything could be worse.'_

"Cheshire is a certified assassin," Thea said.

"She's a certified something, alright," Artemis said. She looked at the young Queen Heiress, who looked back at her without blinking too much. "But, no matter what she is….I could have sworn she left the League a long time ago."

"You know, I was under the impression she left as well," Thea said.

Kara remained silent, just making sure Artemis rested and healed up. She might have to call Dinah and have a word about this. The two girls were good at they did, but they could be better, much better, in fact.

' _The kind of potential is a shame to waste.'_

"It just goes to show you we can never assume anything."

The three girls spun around. The Huntress greeted the trio, after slipping into the Queen Penthouse.

"Okay, is it wrong to assume we need better locks?" Thea asked.

"I'm here to speak with Supergirl, we've got a problem," Huntress said.

Kara frowned. Always the best words to hear from a person.

"Well, feel free to tell me, then," Kara said. She wasn't going to lock people out of the loop. Not Artemis could be of much help, due to the fact Cheshire busted her arm up. Still, best to allow her to know. "Actually, how did you know I was here? You haven't slipped a tracer on me, have you?"

Huntress didn't break her demeanor, instead she kept speaking.

"Patricia Swann has been kidnapped by Cheshire."

"Oh, she has, hasn't she?" Artemis asked.

Thea placed her arm on Artemis's arm and forced her down.

"You know, if you want to be the second archer in history to end up losing their arm, be my guest," Thea said. "Otherwise, you should stay put, and relax….every time Cheshire breaks wind, you don't have to jump in to try and fail to put an arrow through her. Not you'd pull the trigger any more than she would. This foreplay between you two is getting really old."

Huntress gave Thea the Wayne glare of doom and she stood up straight in response. Kara shook her head.

"There's more, isn't there? "Kara asked.

"Yes, the only person who was a witness was the meta human still was in the room with her at the time," Huntress said. "Caitlin Snow, I believe you've been involved with her."

"Killer Frost?" Thea asked.

Kara's glare met Thea's face. Thea wondered what she said wrong. Kara turned her eyes back to Helena.

"What happened?

"She's rather shocked and she can't string two words together," Helena said.

Kara looked fearful Caitlin would have another break, after making so much headway. Having her friend and colleague kidnapped right in front of her, not exactly the most healthy on her mind.

"I'll go talk to Caitlin," Kara said. She turned to Thea. "Make sure she doesn't go anywhere. Sit on her if you have to."

"Gladly," Thea said.

Artemis felt the pain killers working their magic, so she couldn't have went anywhere if she wanted to. She slipped into a subdued state.

"Dinah says she'll be by in a couple of days, she wants to talk to Artemis and you about your performance in Metropolis," Helena said

Thea knew an uncomfortable meeting loomed around the corner.

* * *

Patricia Swann let in a breath of air when she had the bag removed from her head. She thumped down onto the edge of the table, breathing in and breathing out extremely heavily. She felt like her head had been rattled and not in the good way either.

"Doctor Swann, I want to know about the gold Kryptonite Lex Luthor used to take down Superwoman and strip her of her powers," Cheshire said. She held a knife at the edge of Swann's throat.

The redhead looked fairly defiant when she looked in the eyes of the hardened assassin.

"I really don't know what you're talking about…the GoldK was destroyed after Luthor….after Luthor was killed."

"Do not play games with me, Doctor Swann, you will not like the results of them," Cheshire said. She pressed the edge of the knife up against Patricia's neck. "I know STAR Labs has been working on replicating the piece of Gold Kryptonite to give Superwoman her powers back. And I know the Royal Flush Gang stole Doctor Swann's notes and failed to replicate the process"

Cheshire's mood grew rotten after not killing Mannheim. She got her revenge on the Artemis, and she was looking to do the same thing with Supergirl. Chesire knew the girl is weakened without her powers.

"I know STAR labs has been working on them, the real question is….how far have you progressed on your studies?" Cheshire asked. She straddled Patricia and looked her in the eyes. The blood dripping from her mouth from the attack showcased an extremely nasty cut. "The sooner you help us, the sooner I end your torment."

"I…we haven't gotten too far, every single piece has gone bad," Patricia said.

"Did you keep the bad pieces, to find out what went wrong?" Cheshire asked.

Patricia refused to break. Even though it looked like Cheshire fully intended to break her and break her in every single way imaginable.

"Any attempts to synthesize the golden kryptonite turned it black," Patricia said.

"And tell me as a scientist….what is your theory on what this black kryptonite could do?" Cheshire asked.

Patricia's hesitation stalled. Cheshire leaned at him.

"Well?"

"I don't….I don't recall," Patricia said.

"I told you once, Doctor Swann, I don't like it when people keep things from me," she said. She rested her hands on Patricia's shoulders, her nails dangerously close to cutting into them. The scientist flinched underneath Cheshire's attack. "And my employers, they like it even less."

"Yes….I understand," Patricia said. "But, we've never tested it….."

"Naturally, because you didn't want to hurt your precious angel," Cheshire said. "How very sentimental of you….but I didn't ask if you tested it. I asked if you had a theory."

Patricia prided herself on a stubborn will. A stubborn will only lasted so long underneath a solid threat.

"Bad things….the radiation levels, it doesn't effect a target physically," Patricia said. "It affects the target emotionally and mentally. But it's inconclusive how."

"But, you don't have gold Kryptonite?" Cheshire asked her.

Patricia shook her head in negative.

"No, we don't."

"My employers aren't convinced," Cheshire said. "I require more proof. You're going to take me down to the vault and show me what you have."

Patricia had no choice. Cheshire implied she might slaughter Patricia's scientists in cold blood if she failed to comply. She was only kept alive because she was valuable. Her heart was racing when she was spoken to. Cheshire's eyes cast over her maliciously and frowned, when she cupped her hand underneath her chin.

Patricia was forced to look this assassin in the eyes and what she saw made her veins run cold with fear.

"And rest assure, if I find out you are lying and you do have gold Kryptonite, you won't be able to have enough breath left to plead for your life."

* * *

Caitlin Snow shook like a mad woman. The MCU's finest hovered around her.

"It's what happened, I swear, I don't know anything else."

"Are you sure you've told us everything you witnessed?" Maggie asked. Caitlin shivered and nodded.

Turpin and Maggie walked a little bit away from Caitlin.

"You know, it's….."

Turpin's attention turned to Caitlin. The gruff cop's eyes glazed over Caitlin's face. The interrogation lamps over her might make things less intimidation.

"Yeah, it's a bit convenient Swann was attacked, and you're the only witness for the attack," Turpin said. It was obviously he played the role of the bad cop in the situation.

Turpin did not think he disagreed with her. He embraced the role to get the tough answers.

Caitlin frowned. She tried to shake it off, but the scientist feared guilty until proven innocent applied here. Her little escapes already got her on the bad side of the MCU. No one was killed, but the fact Caitlin failed to kill anyone might have been thanks to the timely intervention of Supergirl more than anything else.

Speaking of which, she showed up. The MCU spotted her a few seconds away from Caitlin did. Kara crossed into the room at their invitation.

"What is it Supergirl?" Maggie asked.

Kara's encouraging smile melted Caitlin's heart. The blonde's attention diverted to Turpin and Sawyer.

"One of my contacts has security footage to show what happened," she said.

Kara held out the device to two of Metropolis's finest. The images of the lights flickering and the masked assassins entered the room. Caitlin watched the scene and winced about the way she reacted.

"Well, I guess there's that," Maggie said. "We're dealing with the same group of people who targeted Mannheim."

"Yeah, the guy's underneath lock and key right now, more than he deserves," Turpin said.

Turpin figured he should do the right thing and make sure Mannheim's security remained intact.

"Yes, and….I'm not sure what they're after now," Kara said.

Kara figured Caitlin came up a couple of ideas, but she wasn't going to say anything in front of Turpin, Maggie, or any of the other members of the MCU.

Maggie could sense the chill in the room.

"I think we've done pretty much all we could here."

"Yeah, we did," Turpin agreed. He left and addressed the other men. "We better search for her….hopefully she's needed alive."

Caitlin flinched at the thought of Patricia's death. The fact she could not do anything to help worried Caitlin.

Kara sat down on the chair beside her and placed a hand on hers.

"I won't ask how you're feeling," Kara said. Caitlin nodded. "But, I will ask you exactly why Cheshire wanted to kidnap Doctor Swann."

Caitlin thought about this for a moment. The scientist wrestled with how much she wanted to say.

"Well, I don't know if you've heard, but…Doctor Swann is working on a way to try and restore Superwoman's powers back," Caitlin said. "And she is going to try and recreate the process Luthor used to create golden Kryptonite."

She didn't really know how far Doctor Swann progressed on her experiment.

"She didn't get far," Kara said. Caitlin raised her eyebrow. "Trust me, I know."

"Oh, it's really good you know," Caitlin said. She thought Luthor might be insane, but he demonstrated his insane genius. The mad businessman crafted an item which might never be created again. "I don't know why I couldn't save her."

"You didn't…this wasn't your fault," Kara said. She felt like she told people this a lot lately, too much indeed.

"I have powers, I could have stopped them in their tracks, cold," Caitlin said. She looked at Kara. "But I guess I was afraid of what might happen if I started using my powers again…it seems like if I start, I might lose control again."

"On a biological level, you have control," Kara reminded her. "It's not physical, it's mental, but….."

"I know," Caitlin said. "But, you've got to find Doctor Swann, because….I don't know. The rejects might be down in the vault still."

Kara understood where she came from. It still was to be determined what black kryptonite did to a person, but she had a feeling it wasn't good.

"I'll be fine," Caitlin said. "Trust me, I'm good now….save her."

X-X-X

Cheshire escorted the members of the League down to the vault. They stopped when they saw the Huntress down there.

The assassins shifted, looking around in surprise. The Huntress didn't wait for them to attack, she attacked first. She nailed one of them with a punch to the kidneys doubling them over.

"Attack her!" Cheshire yelled. She held Patricia by the throat. "I'll be the one who gets the vault open…"

Huntress fought off the League members. She flipped herself up over the head of the League member and then knocked him down. The vigilante blocked one of the swords, and did a legsweep taking him down. The Huntress flipped into the shadows, and dropped a pair of gas bombs on the ground.

The League staggered around, choking and hacking on the smoke. This was followed up by some thunderous attacks from the shadows. There were loud cracks when the League members dropped down to the ground.

The Huntress situated her foot and avoided a poison dart shot at her neck. She flipped over the head of her adversary, grabbed the man's neck, and then pushed him down. She slammed him hard against the wall in response.

Two of them charged at her, a full intention to slice her to ribbons using their swords. Unfortunately for them, they didn't get very far.

Two blasts of heat vision incinerated the swords. Kara's arrival helped even the odds. The League's skills lasted only held up so far against a determined Girl of Steel.

"I wondered what took you so long to show up," The Huntress said.

Cheshire made Patricia access the vault. She saw nothing in the vault.

"What trick is this?" Cheshire asked.

Her hand tightened around Patricia's throat. The scientist gasped. The second she regained her bearing, Patricia's fingers averted to the top shelf of the vault.

"It's…it's on the top shelf, I swear," Patricia said.

Kara rushed into the vault and snatched Patricia out of Cheshire's hand. Cheshire staggered. The Huntress's attack forced her to drop down to avoid the assault.

The two women engaged each other in a bit of intense hand to hand. Huntress was obviously good, but Cheshire was one step ahead. She pushed the button a sonic device in her hand and threw it into the air.

A crack announced the sonic waves blasting. The Huntress covered her ears. Ear coverage failed to block her from having debris spraying at her from every direction.

Cheshire realized Swann told the truth. A box slid off of the top shelf and it fell into her hands. She opened it up and saw a glowing black rock in her hand.

Cheshire turned her attention to Supergirl and raised the rock. She waved it in front of Supergirl's face. The Black Kryptonite had no effect.

"You really didn't do a smart thing, did you?" Kara asked.

She smacked the black Kryptonite out of Cheshire's hand.

Cheshire toppled to the ground. One of her assassins rose up and tried to take Supergirl out. The Huntress darted behind her and nailed the assassin flush with a jab right to the ribs.

The assassin's bad day got even worse after Supergirl plowed her in the side of the neck. Cheshire slipped through the hole in the wall, and Supergirl engaged a second assassin.

"I'm really tired of this!" Kara yelled.

A red glint flashed in her eyes, and Kara followed her declaration by plowing the assassin into the wall. His head crunched when Kara planted him against the wall.

Kara flew up and landed on top of him. She raised her hands up high and pummeled him. Her fists repeated the violent attacks on the assassin. His mask was broken and she just kept punching. Teeth shattered, skin busted, and blood splattered all over Kara's knuckles when she started to hammer him constantly. Over and over again, to the point of repetition, Kara busted his face with her whirling knuckles.

She felt herself let out a heavy and ragged breath when she staggered away. The assassin slumped on the ground, busted up from something fierce. Kara looked down at him, with a look of pure rage in her eyes. Her adrenaline was pumping something heavy when she looked down at him.

"Good I'm glad," Kara said.

Helena restrained Kara to prevent her from finishing off the assassin. The vigilante launched into the air and slammed down hard.

The Huntress thanked her good fortune of how armored she stayed, otherwise the situation might end in a bad way.

"People are going to learn there are consequences to trying to cause trouble in my city!" Kara yelled.

The Metropolis belonged to her, and Kara thought she better remind everyone of what she accomplished as Supergirl.

Helena rose to her feet, and she adjusted her headset. The headset worked, and her head felt intact.

"Barbara, we've got a situation."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on August 10** **th** **, 2015.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: The Darkside of Me Part Two.**

* * *

A pair of gunshots rang out and the sound of a door bursting open followed it. A pair of goons rushed from the gas station, holding the money in a large paper bag. One of them was a short fat man with buck teeth, who had trouble keeping up with his partner. . One was a tall man with greasy black hair.

The short fat man turned to the tall greasy man and cackled like a mad man.

"And who says crime doesn't pay?"

"My mother, but what does the bitch know, she's dead," the taller man said.

The short fat man got into the front seat of the car and buckled up. The taller man got into the passengers side.

"Hey, make sure to buckle up."

"What are you, some kind of mother hen?" the taller man asked.

"You do realize what the fucking fine is in Metropolis if I'm caught with a passenger who doesn't buckled up?" he asked.

The taller man's glare met the face of the shorter, fatter man.

"Really, we just knocked over a gas station and shot some bastard, and you're worried about the fucking seatbelt fine?" he asked. He watched the fat man press the gas pedal. The man slammed against the seat hard. "And you drive worse than my grandmother!"

"Hence why you should buckle up," the fat man said.

A loud smash caused both of the criminals to look at each other.

"What the hell?"

Someone or something smashed against the side of the vehicle at the speed of light. The vehicle stopped short when all of their tires had been punctured. A sonic clap resulted in the windshields shattering.

The goons staggered back in and screamed in agony. There was a blonde female who hovered in the air above them. Supergirl dressed differently than her standard costume. She wore a tight black top which had the silver "S" symbol. The symbol twisted a bit more crooked. Her eyes shifted from blue to silver, and her black skirt was shorter.

No one had the balls to peak up her skirt.

"Supergirl!" one of the men said.

He pulled out the gun and stared to fire bullets at her. She avoided being shot.

She punched through the windshield and grabbed the driver, hurling him out of the vehicle. He landed on the ground with a sickening oof.

The tall man tried to run, but he didn't get very far. Supergirl flew into his legs, causing them to shatter underneath the impact. She gripped him around the neck and hurled him so he landed in a pile next to his buddy. Both thugs screamed in agony.

The two thugs hit the ground with a solid crack and rolled over. They couldn't believe Supergirl made short work of them and in such a brutal manner. The young woman hovered over the ground above then. They struggled, but failed to get up off of the ground.

She reached up and picked up the bag. The thugs whimpered on the ground and weren't going anywhere.

"You put people in danger for what?" she asked. She flipped through the contents of the bag and looked extremely unimpressed. "For two hundred dollars?"

One of the men tried to pull himself to his feet, but he couldn't on the account of having every single bone in his leg shattered. He suffered the worst agony ever, and the man's lucky didn't appear to get much better.

"You know, I'm so sick and tired of people like you who think you could cause trouble in my city," Kara said. Her eyes glowed red. "There are a lot of other problems in the world I could have dealt with a long time ago, if petty fucking assholes like you quit knocking off a gas station for two hundred dollars!"

"Yeah, just beat us up, and leave us for the cops," one of the goons said.

He tried to sound brave, but Supergirl snorted.

' _His balls haven't dropped yet. Sick of these assholes, I'm going to make them pay for screwing up in my city.'_

Her eyes fired heat vision at the ground. A ring of fire erupted on the ground around them, surrounding them.

"What are you doing?" one of the thugs asked.

The thug's face turned pale and he started to shake.

"I'm going to make you pay for what you've done," Kara said. "The punishment for trouble in my town is a slow and agonizing death!"

One of the thugs screamed in terror when the fire closed in on him. The fatter thug couldn't take the heat and passed out from the misery.

"Guess one of you isn't going to feel the burn," Kara said. "People should learn Metropolis is my city and I will do anything to protect it."

"You can't do this, you're one of the good guys!" the skinny thug said.

Kara laughed.

"Being one of the girls hasn't gotten me far, has it? Being a girl scout has gotten innocent people kill. The man at the gas station had a family, a wife, children, a mother….friends will be sad you shot him. So, a life for a life, the only justice in this world. But, don't worry, I'm just making your trip where you're going so much easier."

She turned around and left the man in the central ring of fire. He shivered. It was so hot, but it felt so cold.

The end approached the man as he burned.

* * *

Lois Lane frowned. She thought things went insane in the past, but things flew all the way past insane. She looked over her shoulder and saw Claire enter the office, looking rather sour. It was obvious why.

"I heard what Kara did," Claire said.

"Maybe she's finally cracking underneath the pressure of trying to take care of the city?" Lois asked. "After what's been going on…"

"I didn't ask her to take care of Metropolis," Claire said. "She could have burned those two thugs to death."

"If she wanted to, if she really wanted to, wouldn't she have fired her heat vision straight at them?" Lois asked. Claire frowned. "Just stop and think about it for a moment."

"I am thinking about it, and I'm going to have a word with her about what she's doing," Claire said.

Lois reached forward and gripped Claire by the sleeve her blouse.

"Yeah, you know going after Kara is really not a good idea."

"What….I'm pretty sure…" Claire said.

"Yes, you're sure, but you can't stop her even if you wanted to," Lois said. "I'm sure Donna and Diana could do so….maybe you should call one of them."

"Can't, both of them are off land," Claire answered.

All she hoped to do was be able to talk some sense into Kara.

Her phone rang and Claire picked it up. "Yes, what is it?"

"It's Kara….she's not herself," Helena informed her. "She's been affected with Black Kryptonite."

"Black Krytonite?" Claire asked. She never ran into Black Kryptonite in her life. She was all too familiar with the green version of the Kryptonite and also the red version of the Kryptonite. There was the golden version which lead her to her current situation. "I didn't even know if there was such a thing as Black Kryptonite."

"There is," Helena said. Claire responded by frowning in response. "It was created by STAR Labs when they tried to recreate Luthor's experiment."

Claire jumped up, what Helena told her was news to her. She frowned deeply in response.

"Why would they being doing something replicating the Gold Kryptonite?"

"To restore your powers.

"They didn't….they didn't really need to do….how long have you known about this?"

Before Claire could get any response out of Helena due to this, the doors of the Daily Planet flung open. Kara turned up, dressed in her civilian attire. She dressed in a black leather jacket, a tight black shirt, and blue jeans. She wore a black choker and fingerless gloves. Claire noticed her eyes turned silver as opposed to her normal blue. Claire frowned deeply when she caught sight of her cousin. Her normal sunny demeanor disappeared.

Kara looked pissed off at the entire world and didn't give a fuck who knew it either.

"I'll call you back," Claire said. "And don't worry, I won't do anything reckless."

"Oh, I know you, you will do something extremely reckless," Lois said when Claire got off the phone. Claire stared Lois down, with Lois throwing her hands back in response. "Yes, I know, I have a lot of room to talk, but still."

Claire nodded and she turned her head away from her and walked forward. She made her way towards Kara, who was standing in the doorway. Leslie Willis was ramble on and on about how she was right and how Supergirl showed herself to be a menace.

"Someone should teach her a lesson," Kara said. In fact teaching Willis a lesson personally looked to be a good idea from Kara stood. She was going to fly over there to the radio station and make sure Willis paid for her mouth.

"Kara, I need a word with you."

Kara turned around and saw her powerless, weak, useless cousin standing there. Likely she prepared to give her some lecture about something, like she was so perfect, like she could do so wrong. If she was so perfect, then she wouldn't have lost her powers.

"Fine!" Kara snapped. She allowed Claire to lead her into one of the side offices. "What do you want?"

"What the hell is going on with you, Kara?" Claire asked. "This isn't like you, going around and brutalizing criminals like you have."

"Oh, really, now's the time you're going to give me a lecture about this," Kara said. She laughed. "I can't say I'm surprised about this. You always were the perfect girl scout, and you have to get on me about everything. Because you're the oh so perfect Superwoman!"

"It isn't….listen to yourself, Kara, the Black Kryptonite…it's messed with your mind," Claire said. "Go to the Fortress, and get my mother to help you….she can help you….you need help."

Kara leaned in to Claire's face and stared her down.

"Actually, my mind is clearer than ever before," Kara said. "And it's pretty clear to me you would have never lost your powers if you hadn't been so pathetic. If you hadn't been so reckless. Let's face it, you were pathetic with them and you were even more pathetic without your powers."

Kara's eyes glowed before she backed Claire up against the wall.

"Oh, are you afraid I'm going to burn you, Clara?" Kara asked. Her voice grew a bit more rough and a bit more prominent. A darker and more coarse tone developed in her voice. "You see, I tried your way, over and over again, and it didn't work. Now, it's obvious there's one thing humans understand, is fear. I'm going to make them afraid to commit crimes. The price for committing a crime under my watch is burning to death."

"You can't just…."

"There she goes again, telling me what I can do, like she matters," Kara said. "You're a human now, Claire, weak, fragile, squish like the rest of them. To the universe, you are no more than an insect. And it's about time someone cleans up this city."

She turned around. It was obvious by now something really bad happened to Kara. The Black Kryptonite warped her mind. And with those, she flew off., faster than a speeding bullet.

"And I just missed her, didn't I?"

Claire turned around, not being surprised with Helena stepping out of the shadows.

"Yes, you missed her," Claire said. "There's something extremely wrong with her."

"I told you about the Black Kryptonite….well, it's doing more than messing with her mind," Helena said.

Claire knew she was going to hate what she found out.

"I'm all ears."

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Claire Kent and Helena Wayne was at one of Helena's outpost, an abandoned subway station in Metropolis. Barbara joined them to help offer her valued input.

"What's going on?" Claire asked.

"It's not good," Barbara said. "You know all about the black Kryptonite?"

"Yes," Claire replied. "I've just had my fill with the entire Kryptonite rainbow."

"I've discovered the Black Kryptonite caused distinct personality shifts in super powered Kryptonians, making the dark side exists all of them come closer to the forefront," Helena said

Helena's explanation made sense. Kara might be a cute, perky, blonde most of the days, but she had her darkside. They all did. Even Claire, not she admitted it out loud.

"And the brighter the good, the more twisted the evil," Claire said. She shook her head. "But, technically Kara hasn't really killed anyone."

"One man died of a heart attack, but the thug because he was about two hundred pounds over weight and got overheated," Helena said. "Not the truth will stop the idiots from blaming it on your cousin."

"Her super powered evil side might be dangerous if it comes completely out and separates from her good side," Barbara said.

"What do you mean separate?" Claire asked.

"The Kryptonite is doing more than mess with her mind, it's causing super powered molecules to split, and it will eventually divide her in half," Helena said.

Barbara picked up with her explanation.

"On one side of the coin, there's mild mannered Kara Kent, college student. And on the other side, is a pure Kryptonian, Supergirl, who is the manifestation of the dark side of her psyche, with the personification of all things powered and none of Kara's humanity."

"Yes, her dark side could be a problem," Claire said. "I don't know what I'm going to do there. I don't have any powers."

Claire realized she talked to two non-powered people who were about as capable, if not more so than anyone else with powers. She shook her head.

If Helena was offended, she most certainly did not let on.

"There's a good chance the Kryptonite effects should wear off within the next seventy two hours or so…."

"Right after the damage is completely done," Claire said. Desperation filled Claire's eyes. "Please tell me you have some kind of contingency plan for this one?"

"Of course, we do," Helena said. "Did you forget whose daughter I am?"

Claire almost forgot, but to be fair, her mind was going about a million miles a minute in an attempt to process everything in a somewhat rational way. Of course Helena had a plan. Would she be Helena if she didn't have a plan?

"Donna being here would be the easy situation," Barbara said. "But she can't be, because she's visiting her sister back home."

The easy situation was out, but par for the course for the superheroes. None of them strived for the easy solution at all.

' _If everything is easy, I would have my powers.'_

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard to find her," Helena said.

"Yeah, just follow the trail of broken criminal bodies," Barbara said.

A part of her joked, but Barbara struck a nerve way too close to home.

* * *

Sometimes, people felt clarity at the strangest moments. Kara shook her head when she brought herself down. The Girl of Steel looked down at Metropolis, the city she sworn to protect. When she flew over it, she saw children cowering from her approaching form in fear.

She shook her head. Yells of protest of what she did pounded in her head. It would be easy to silence them, to show them why they shouldn't go against her. She was all powerful after all. The yellow sun made her invincible.

She shook her head, wondering what the hell was wrong with her.

' _You are a goddess, you should be worshipped and revered as one,'_ the voice in her head stated. _'If they fear you, they should, because you can crush them like ants.'_

Some of the words spilling out of Kara's mouth came from this darker part of her mind, and it became unfortunately obvious the Black Kryptonite did something to her.

She recalled the look of fear and disappointment in Claire's face, her baby cousin looked terrified of her. It snapped her back to life. Kara struggled against the darker impulses in her mind and tried to reign them in.

' _Claire's right, oh Rao, she's right.'_

She needed to….she needed to get to the Fortress. Lara could help her.

' _Claire's right, she….focus Kara, get it together!'_

Unfortunately for Kara, she spiraled out of control. The darkside of her exerted even more control over her mind and body. Kara could feel her wanting to go one way, but her body pulled.

' _You held me back Kara Kent,'_ the voice of Supergirl said.

Kara landed face first down into a junkyard. Trash flew everywhere. The ringing escalated in the back of her head. It felt like there was something splitting her in half.

Batgirl and Huntress showed up. They heard reports of Supergirl flying around in an erractic manner.

"Kara must be trying to fight it," Barbara said.

Barbara prepared herself for the inevitable, but she dreaded having put her down.

"She is strong willed, which can be a problem," Helena said. "If her good side is strong willed, her bad side is strong willed as well. The harder Kara pushes, the harder Supergirl will push to take control. We don't have too much time."

Barbara skidded to a stop. She frowned when taking a look at the situation unfolding before their eyes.

"I think…I think it's happening."

They looked forward and caught sight Kara Kent. She dressed with her hair done up in a ponytail, wearing a red tank top, a blue jean jacket, and blue jeans making a casual fit over her body. A pair of glasses wrapped a nice little bow on the innocent country girl look.

Across from her was Supergirl, dressed in the distorted black and silver costume. Her hair was not done up neatly in a ponytail. Her eyes glowed black, while Kara's finally reverted back to her blue.

"There can only be one!" Supergirl yelled.

Supergirl fired her heat vision at her light side. She knew with time, she could be combined with her double, and didn't want it to happen.

Kara pulled up and did a flip over the top of her. She tried to lift up a car engine, automatically, only finding out she couldn't.

"Weak as Claire, pathetic you've grown native," Supergirl said.

Supergirl hoisted Kara up by her shirt and let her dangle over the ground. Kara dangled around, trying to break on free. A punch rocked Kara. The fact her skull didn't get crushed indicated she retained some of her invulnerability, even though her powers were gone.

The key word was some invulnerability because it caused her face to get severely bruised. Dark Supergirl threw her down to the ground.

She looked about ready to go down for the kill, but Huntress jumped up and nailed Dark Supergirl in the face with a pair of Kryptonite brass knuckles.

Dark Supergirl turned around. She placed her hand on the glowing purple bruise on her face.

"You almost stung me," Dark Supergirl said.

She blocked Helena's hand and stopped her from firing off a second punch.

"You should remember I have a shield against the Green Kryptonite."

Kara slipped a pair of ear plugs in her ear.

"And you should know, not to turn your back on an enemy before you've finished the job!"

Kara pressed a button on a sonic device. Her action caused a "Canary Cry" like effect which caused her dark counterpart to stagger forward. Her super powered hearing was bombarded with one sound and it sounded like a dog whistle to her, leaving her stunned.

This device worked well in bringing Claire back to her senses when she had a Red Kryptonite trip and it also did wonders in crippling her darker counterpart.

They did wonders in crippling her, until she fired heat vision at the device, causing it to burn in Kara's hand. Kara yelped when she landed down onto the ground.

Dark Supergirl felt a ringing in her ears and rage flowed through her body.

"You'll burn for what you've done, bitch!"

"Batgirl now!" Huntress yelled.

Batgirl, perched up, used a cannon to bombard the Dark Supergirl with simulated red solar radiation. The blast sent Dark Supergirl on her back.

"Did I get her?" Batgirl asked.

A gust of wind knocked Batgirl off of her perch point. Debris rocked around in every direction.

"Not enough," Huntress said.

A tornado had been created with her super breath, which caused them to have to dodge and escape the junkyard. They threw themselves into a ditch to avoid the flying debris from crushing them.

The winds subsided and Huntress struggled to hold her head up. She barely was able to stand up straight after what happened.

"Are you okay?" Kara asked.

Huntress shook her head.

"I'm fine," Huntress said. "Going to take a lot more to put me down."

Barbara sounded extremely confused. "

I don't understand. We tagged her, didn't we?"

"Yes, we tagged her," Helena said "I hoped cannon would drain her powers."

"I still feel like I have some powers, maybe about five percent," Kara said. "I'm not sure if me still having powers makes any sense."

"It doesn't, but we're dealing with uncharted territory," Helena informed her. "The simulated red solar radiation tagged her with a chemical we should be able to track."

Kara knew where she was heading.

"She's heading to the Arctic, isn't she?'

* * *

Dark Supergirl arrived at the Fortress of Solitude. She just barely arrived there by the skin of her teeth. Her reserves faltered quickly, a plan she was going to fix.

She passed through the barriers and make her way through towards the master crystal control. She pressed her hand against the console which heated up underneath her grip.

"You're not Kara," Lara said. "What did you do to her?"

"With any luck, she got crushed under debris," Dark Supergirl said. "And I am Kara Zor-El, but not the weakling Kara Kent. And now, I have complete control of my Fortress. Claire never used it to its full potential. This could be an outpost of knowledge, or a weapon to bring the world to its knees."

"This isn't you," Lara said.

She struggled to get control of the system, but this dark Kara proved she inherited all of Alura's intelligence and none of her empathy. She was able to bypass all of the protocols.

"It is me now," Dark Kara said. Her black eyes glinted ominously. "If my weaker half shows up, I need to crush her. I'm not getting remerged with her. The world is going to get the ruler …well they might not get the ruler they want, but they're going to get the ruler they deserve. All shall kneel before Supergirl!"

* * *

 **To Be Continued on August 17** **th** **, 2015.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen: The Darkside of Me Part Three.**

* * *

Kara, Helena, and Barbara made their way to the Fortress in the Batwing. Presently, Kara was busy at work trying to put together some gadgets in an attempt to handle her darker enemy.

"You do realize when we get into range, my darker half is going to act rather irrationally and try to kill us," Kara said. There was a pause and Helena turned towards her, nodding in response. "Just making sure you knew, I feel her in my head. She's only distracted with her own plans, but when we get close, she'll know we're coming."

Helena touched her hand underneath her chin and frowned.

"There must be some kind of psychic link, the two of you are still technically one if you're apart," Helena said.

Barbara sighed.

"So, I hate to be the one who brings this up. But what happens if one or both sides gets killed?"

After a long pause, Kara intercepted Helena before she could answer.

"Actually, I don't want to know, so thank you very much for not telling me."

Kara snapped together a pair of goggles and dangled them underneath her hands. The golden-haired de-powered heroine slipped the googles onto her face and adjusted the settings. The goggles allowed her to utilize X-Ray vision as she might normally.

"Okay, this setting works, can't really test the other settings while we're in here," Kara said.

Kara slipped the gauntlets on. Those should pack a nice little punch. She made sure everything was secure. She added a harness onto her body with retractable wings which would give her flight.

Who really needed super powers? Kara thought she managed good enough, with the help of the gadgets. She wondered if she could get Claire to use those gadgets, but it might not be smart to rely on them too much.

' _They will come in handy,'_ Kara thought.

"And we're almost at the Fortress," Helena said. "Brace yourselves."

Everyone aboard the Batwing did brace themselves and, a beam of light shooting out towards the Batwing in an attempt to take out it out. The onboard computer managed to avoid the shot.

"Get me as close as you can, I need to get inside the Fortress to override myself," Kara said.

Only in the weird world of super heroes could Kara's statement logically make any amount of sense. The Girl of Steel made sure she strapped in tight to the harness and the wings functioned as planned. She prepared herself with a bumpy ride.

Kara figured it was some pretty decent modifications on Thanagarian based technology. It might not have as sophisticated, but it was there. She descended from the plane, making her way to the fortress.

Kara breathed heavily when she could hear the ripple coming from beneath her. She dodged the blast of light and accelerated her descending.

The frigid snap of the Arctic was far more prominent now without her powers. Kara crossed her fingers, hoping her insane gambit worked.

Her dark counterpart had full reign of the Fortress, but one thing Kara learned was the ability to adapt. She spotted a bright light and a beacon signal popping up.

"Override, 4-3-5," Kara commented.

Kara prayed her darker counterpart didn't change the override codes.

A pregnant paused occurred when the laser array guarding the Fortress faded to black. It might have been about ten seconds before it was going to boot back up. Kara descended as fast as she could go, heading to the fortress like a bat out of hell.

It was going to be a long fall, but she wasn't worried about the long fall as much as she was the sudden stop. She landed on the ground, just before the laser cannons heated back up and prepared to fire again.

She was inside and knew Barbara and Helena would be okay.

' _I know they can handle themselves, but I got to worry about handling myself.'_

Kara pressed her hand on the keypad. The Fortress scanned her and paused. It was almost like the scanner was confused. She wondered, as sophisticated as it was, if it was going to be able to handle two of her.

' _Let's see.'_

Kara folded her arms and waited. The Fortress gates would either open up or blast her. She didn't know which would happen.

The gates opened and it allowed her inside. Kara really hopedshe could prevent something bad from happening. The blinking on the walls sent a message which Kara quickly decoded. The wording of the message caused her to quicken the pass.

' _Running out to time, have to hurry.'_

* * *

Dark Supergirl smiled when she prepared to bring the weapon online. It was time for Metropolis to be cleaned up. She saw it clearly for the world to prosper, she needed to make a statement. The actions of the people and their defiance would have grim consequences.

"Soon, the entire world will learn the consequences of their actions," the darker side of Kara responded. She shook her head with a wicked grin. "Aren't you able to see this now? This is what Claire should have done when she had the chance. But I guess my father was right about something. Jor-El was weak and she got her weakness from Jor-El."

"You're acting like Zod," Lara said.

Kara's eyes turned to her aunt's console with a wicked glare.

"Don't you ever compare me to him!" Dark Supergirl yelled. "You see…..while he was a failure who brought ruin to the people which he was supposed to lead, I'm going to bring this entire new world to a promise age."

"The only promise is me curb stomping your overly smug butt."

Dark Supergirl's head whipped around in time to see her lighter half. The lighter version of Kara hurled a grenade at the ground, but dark Supergirl dodged the attack.

"Nice wings, all the better for me to rip them off," she said wickedly.

Dark Supergirl charged forward, arms extended. Kara dodged out of the way at the last possible second.

"Looks like I finally got a bit more speed back in me," Kara said. "Just in the nick of time, isn't it?"

"Yes, still going to….."

Kara activated her goggles. Red sunlight vision shot through the air and cut through the air. The darker half of her evaded the attack.

"You know, you can deny it, but I'm a part of you, deep down inside, you know I'm right," the Dark Supergirl said.

Helena slipped inside while the battle occurred. She needed to reboot the Fortress. Claire thankfully taught her how to do this just in case. In turn, Helena taught Barbara to help her.

"I knew you'd find a way inside," Lara said.

"We got your message," Helena said. "We need to…."

"Yes, I understand, I know the process," Lara said. She waited for Helena to proceed. Lara caught notice of Barbara watching the battle. "I'm sure Kara, no matter what, can hold her own."

Both of them could, which resulted in a problem. Kara tried to take her enemy down in cat and mouse. The Dark Kara grabbed the lighter model and hurled her to the ground with a sickening thud.

Kara reached in and pressed the button on the sonic grenade. The only problem was it didn't work. She reached forward and pulled the grenade, crunching it in the process. Sparks flew everywhere when she was lifted off of the ground.

"You might have pulled it off once, but it didn't work twice," Dark Supergirl said.

Dark Supergirl grabbed the lighter version of Kara. Kara struggled and smiled.

' _Right in position.'_

"Well, you're so smart, aren't you?" Kara asked. She looked up towards the ceiling. "0-4-1-9-8-4."

There was a sizzling sound and several crystals shot from the ceiling and nailed Dark Kara full on. Kara dodged the attack, avoiding the attack in the process. She got up to her feet and engaged her dark double.

"Cute," Dark Kara said. "Really cute."

She rushed towards the lighter version of Kara and tried to put her head through the crystal console of the Fortress.

"Disengage," Kara said.

The harness did so and launched her dark counterpart up into the ceiling. Dark Supergirl smashed hard onto the ceiling. Seconds later, she slammed onto the ground with a bone shattering thud.

Dark Supergirl looked rather angry, and Kara jumped onto her back and placed the crystal at her neck. She moved her over towards the chamber, dragging her back with all of the might she could. The two of them struggled with each other, with Kara slamming the darker version of Supergirl through a chamber. The light of the chamber illuminated.

"4-5-2," Kara murmured.

' _Please work and please work soon.'_

Dark Supergirl looked up and the energy crystals in the fortress engaged with power. The energy crystals bombarded the two Supergirls with energy, frying them in the process. They screamed in agony when two became one once more.

Helena walked over. She tried to touch the crystal gate, only to retract her hand when she realized how hot it grew. Frowning, Helena took half of a step back.

"Fortress is back online," Lara said.

A crack signaled a crystal gate sliding open. Everyone in the Fortress held their collective breath, waiting for the dust to clear.

Kara, now completely naked, stumbled out of the chamber, there was only one version of her. Both Helena and Barbara looked apprehensive. Both hoped Kara put herself back together in the right way.

"Kara?" Barbara asked.

"So, I guess, we did it," Kara said, weakly smiling in response, her knees crumpled.

Kara crashed down onto the ground. Her powers returned and both halves became whole.

They did it, but Kara wasn't in the best spirits. Then again, she was ripped apart and put together one atom at a time.

* * *

Kara woke up. Her eyes flickered open and she allowed herself to breath. She saw Barbara and Helena over her, waiting for her. Lara was doing a scan of her.

"So, I guess what happened really happened, didn't it?" Kara asked.

The heroine could feel a bit of a headache coming on, which was an oddity.

"So, I'm taking it you feel like you're back to normal," Helena said.

Kara responded with a weakened smile before collecting her thoughts.

"Well, I'm about as normal as you're going to ever get, you know," Kara said. "But it's really not my call to make. Lara's checking me out and we'll know in a minute."

Kara hated being still for any reason. She could feel the blinking lights of the Fortress roll over hear. Her nerves sang with being edge. Kara recalled what happened, what her darkside did and what her dark side wanted to do. The heroine recalled everything with painstaking accuracy. But it served to be a valuable lesson of what she could be if she allowed her Kryptonian side to run unchecked.

Like it or not, Kara had a dark side.

"Sorry about what happened," Kara said.

Barbara waved off the apology.

"It's no problem, you weren't yourself."

Kara couldn't help, but think she was herself. Granted she was a bad part of herself, but she was still herself. She couldn't angst over it. Angst was the gateway of not getting anything done after all.

Claire proved about as much as of late.

Kara allowed Lara to scan her body over and over again. She could feel herself regaining her strength. For a brief second, Kara assumed she lost her powers.

' _And I wouldn't really hate losing my powers. I did a pretty good job against my super powered dark side.'_

The black Kryptonite proved to be an illuminating experience overall. Kara also couldn't help, but think they were a bit closer to finding out a way to restore Claire's powers to a certain point. Kara sat up a little bit when she turned around.

"Physically you are fine," Lara said.

Kara nodded, relief spreading through her body. She rose to her feet and looked around the Fortress. The map of the world shined in her eye sight.

' _The same world I could have taken out if everything would have been wrong.'_

So close, and Kara realized how valuable her non-super powered, human side was for her growth as a person. Born a Kryptonian, but Kara believed she gained a balanced perspective during the five years on Earth.

"There are times out there where you'll holding yourself back," Helena said.

"Yes, there are," Kara said. "And you know why."

Most people didn't have a chance to face the dark side of them. Kara did and she conquered it, in her one way. Her victory didn't come without ramifications.

Kara needed to patch up a couple of relationships. She knew who first and foremost she had to talk.

"So, Lara, would you think I'm good enough to fly?" Kara asked.

"I say if you feel up to it, I wouldn't stop you," Lara said. "The long road to recovery does begin with a single step."

Kara would have to concede her aunt's words had much wisdom. The Girl of Steel glanced down at the gadgets she created to fight her super powered evil side. Some of them had been damaged, but they weren't bad ideas at all. Even if she did get them from other sources, they were a few good sources.

* * *

It was a slow flight back, where Kara had some time to think about what she was going to say. She arrived outside of Claire's apartment.

The moment Kara arrived, she ran into Lois. Lois stepped back and looked at Kara apprehensively.

"So, are you…okay?"

"Don't worry, I'm over what happened," Kara said. Lois stepped towards her. "I was exposed to black Kryptonite."

"How many different colors of Kryptonite are there, anywhere?" Lois asked. Kara frowned when she looked at her. "Right, not the question I should be asking right now. You did go off on Claire a little bit."

"Yes, I did and….." Kara said. "I wanted to talk to her about everything, to clear the air. I said some things really shouldn't have been said, but it was just…"

"Well, I know I'm the last person who should be giving you this particular lecture, for obvious reasons," Lois said. "You said what you needed to say, even though you didn't say it in the right way. Although those are the things Claire needed to hear….after the way she's been acting. I thought by now she would have gotten over losing her powers and moved on."

Lois hated to admit she was wrong. You know what they say about assumptions though.

"It was a shock to her, I think," Kara answered. The Girl of Steel flung her hair out of her face so she could properly look at Lois. "But, still…..maybe I should talk to her and clear the air with her. I should have had an honest thought with her a long time ago."

"Maybe you should have."

Lois raised her hand to knock on the door. She thought Claire would be in by now. On most days, Claire home before Lois because Lois kept some pretty late nights.

Lois reached into her purse and fished out her key. She turned the tumbler towards the door and opened it.

The brunette reporter peered inside the room and casually looked around, frowning hard.

"Hey, Smallville, are you at home?"

Lois flipped on the light and she allowed Kara to be inside. It didn't look like Claire had been home in some time.

She made her way to the closet and slipped off her jacket, opening it. Lois frowned when she noticed Claire's clothes were missing from their closet.

Kara gasped which caused Lois to turned around. Both women recognized the handwriting on the note as belonging to Claire.

The Girl of Steel clutched the note with trembling hands before reading it.

"Dear Lois. Sorry about being so sudden with what I'm about to do. I took a rather impulsive move out of your playbook for once. I need to leave for a while to clear my head and find out who I really am. As long as I'm in Metropolis, I'm reminded about the fact I can't be Superwoman anymore. No matter how hard I try to ignore my thoughts, it hurts not to do something I love. I don't know where I'm going, and I don't know what I want…."

Kara paused and Lois frowned. She could see the hesitation in Kara's eyes when she continued to read the letter. Lois looked towards her and nudged her to continue.

"There's more, isn't there?" Lois asked.

Kara nodded and cleared her throat. "I've figured out right now….Kara is more than worthy of the Superwoman moniker any way….and despite what I've said, Kara can take care of the city on her own. And if she can't….well, she always has help on the way. And I know you'll tell her this, when her head finally gets back together. And it will. Thank you Lois, good luck, I know you'll bounce on your feet without me….thanks for keeping me down to Earth. Maybe our paths will cross again. Love, Claire"

Kara looked at the note. There was a conflict of emotions running through her. She turned to Lois, who looked back at her.

"I don't really know what to think about all of this," Lois said.

Kara didn't know whether or not to say anything about this. The Girl of Steel couldn't help, but think her words were the straw broke the camel's back and drove Claire to, god knows where.

* * *

Later the same night, or maybe early in the next morning, Kara arrived at a Penthouse the Waynes owned in Metropolis. Helena waited for her. She dressed in a casual purple blouse and tight black pants. It had been a long time.

The moment Kara settled in, Helena slid a cup of coffee in front of Kara.

"It looks like you could use coffee," Helena said.

"I shouldn't, coffee might make me more evil then the Black K," Kara said. She got the Wayne glare of doom from Helena and Kara responded with a shifty grin. "What, too soon?"

"Yes, very much so," Helena said.

The two women sat in silence. The full ramifications of Supergirl's super powered evil joyride would hit them by morning. Obviously, the usual suspects were going to have a field day with it. Helena half expected Leslie Willis to start in bright and early with a rather predictable "see, I told you Supergirl was bad, routine."

"I'd ask how you're feeling," Helena said. "But, asking you how you'll feeling would insult both of our intelligences, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, it would," Kara said. "Claire ended up skipping town."

Helena sighed. The Wayne heiress drank a cup of coffee.

"Yes, it was inevitable….I'm surprised it took this long for it to happen. It's been about four months since she lost her powers?"

"Roughly, more or less," Kara said. She sighed and when she took the cup of coffee up to her lips. "I can't believe it took my evil side coming out for her to finally admit I can handle this."

"I'm sure she always knew," Helena said.

"Yes, you're right," Kara said. "Lois….well Lois is putting on the tough girl act. But you know she's not happy about the Dear Lois letter and Claire skipping town like shaie did."

"I figured as much," Helena said. She offered Kara a tin of strawberries and some whipped cream. "I don't use this place very often. If you want it, I can sign it over to you."

Kara popped the strawberry into her mouth and her eyes widened in surprised. She finished the strawberry for a moment.

"Are you for real?"

"I'm very real," Helena said. "You have a state of the art crime lab down here and….well there's more room to spread your wings. Besides, you don't have to worry about the landlord anymore."

"Yes, he's….well he's a bit of a jerk," Kara said. She finished another strawberry. "Thanks, Helena, really, thanks."

"We need to stick together," Helena said. "My father failed to learn the lesson before it was too late."

The Wayne heiress took a moment to roll over thoughts in her mind Helena watched him bleed to death and there was nothing she could do about it. The only thing she wanted to do was bring the bastard who did this to justice. The official GCPD report said he perished in the explosion, but Helena knew the man's track record and wasn't convinced.

She reached forward and casually wiped the whip cream off of Kara's upper lip. She popped it into her mouth and licked it.

"You didn't have the best night, and things are going to get worse."

"Thanks for the pep talk, Helena," Kara said dryly.

Helena extended her hand out. "

I'll show you the master bedroom."

Kara didn't question it. Helena escorted her to the master bedroom by the hand and the two of them walked up a set of stairs to the master bedroom.

Helena stood behind her where Kara looked forward. Her face stretched into a grin and there was only one thing she could say.

"Pretty nice."

She felt Helena turn her around. Helena's warm lips pressed on top of Kara's. Kara closed her eyes and accepted Helena's kiss.

Helena guided Kara over towards the bed, running her very able hands down her body. Her training allowed her to hit the right spots. Helena's abilities gave an enemy pain, but also could give a lover pleasure.

She smiled and beckoned for Kara to descend on the bed. She did.

"Relax, let me take care of you," Helena said. She nibbled on her left ear and shifted to kiss down the side of her neck.

With the coming storm, both of them really needed this. Kara felt her soon to be lover's hands brush underneath her shirt to feel up her breasts. The Girl of Steel couldn't help, but think her and Helena hooking up was a long time coming.

* * *

Kara dropped down onto her chest and smiled when she rested her head on her breasts.

"Thanks, Helena."

"Any time," Helena said.

The two cuddled in each other, content with their love making.

They would worry about the consequences of Kara's super powered evil side right now. Right now, both of them lulled up to sleep, worried about what would occur in the morning. Rather good or bad, Claire was right; Kara didn't have to go through it alone.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on August 24** **th** **, 2015.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen: Unsettling Calm.**

* * *

Kara stirred in the bed. She felt something soft press against her back and she recalled what happened the night before. The end of last night was the best and she didn't regret it. Everything leading up to point, well, what was done was done. Kara sighed, she didn't know what she wanted to do next, but Kara did know she had to get up and face the day, sometime.

' _Can't just lie in bed like a bump on a log, no matter how much I'd like to be one. Or how comfortable I am right now.'_

Today begin sooner rather than later, but not any time soon. She felt Helena pressed against her back and she stirred on the bed for a moment. The clock radio came on, indicating the alarm, which had been set to six in the morning.

"And, I told you so, I told you so!" bellowed the voice of the woman who neither of them wanted to hear the first thing in the morning. "For months, I've been telling you those super powered people are no good, and you've defended them through calls and e-mails, well how can any of you defend this?"

Helena grumbled when she heard the shrill tones of the voice of one Leslie Willis. She figured now would be the best time for her to get up.

"I swear, Barbara trolled me when she set this radio to this station."

"Oh, was it set to this radio station before?" Kara asked Helena.

Helena grumbled.

"No, it wasn't."

Kara blinked and she nodded in agreement. Helena pulled herself away from Kara, and rolled over to the side of the bed. She stood naked and made her way over to steal the shower.

As much as Kara wanted to join her, she wanted to keep listening to the radio. She didn't know why, it didn't make any sense why she wanted to listen to someone like Leslie Willis. It was like a train wreck she couldn't quite look away from. Or rather listen away from.

"You know, if you ask me, Supergirl should be thrown into prison and they should throw away the key and never let her out," Leslie said. "I mean, would you let your children out on the streets, knowing this madwoman is out there? The girl has completely lost her flipping mind. She could fly into their rooms and snatch them out of their beds. I hope the MCU takes this serious and puts her in Kryptonite chains for what she did."

Helena returned, dressed in her clothes. She dried her hair off. Frowning, she looked at Kara, when she sped over to take a quick shower.

"Sensationalistic journalism is still alive and well, which is really said really sad," Helena said.

Kara returned, dressed in a red tank top and cut off jean shorts. She stepped towards Helena and perched herself down onto the chair.

"Breakfast will be ready in a moment," Helena said.

"I'd help, but…."

"The last time you tried to cook, it didn't end too well," Helena said. Kara folded her arms and pouted, but her efforts went unnoticed by Helena. "I know."

It went without saying who told Helena about Kara's kitchen mishap, but they were avoiding the elephant in the room presently.

"So, do you think I messed up?" Kara asked.

Helena reached towards Kara's shoulder and touched a hand on it.

"The black Kryptonite….at least we know what it does and I'm currently working on a way to protect you from further exposure, so it doesn't happen again," Helena said.

"You work fast," Kara said.

"It will take a couple of days, so it would best for you to lay low," Helena said.

Without a further word, the Wayne heiress piled some pancakes onto a plate and brought them over to Kara.

"I'm not even sure if Supergirl can ever show her face ever again," Kara said.

"Don't worry about Willis," Helena said.

"I'm not worried about her, not really," Kara said. She used her fork to take a bite of her pancakes, more to give herself something to do. Although being torn apart and put back together did wonders in making a girl hungry. "Okay, I'm worried about how she's going to stir some idiots up and they're going to put innocent people in danger."

"She's got some big backers who enjoy her brand of journalism," Helena said. The pancakes might be excellent order, but Helena looked like she swallowed something rancid. "I would have put a gag on her a long time ago, if I would."

"And her show is highly rated," Kara said. "Guess, what they say about having a bile fascination is true."

"To be fair, she only speaks for about maybe fifteen minutes out of an hour, for three hours, and the rest of the time is music and commercials," Helena said.

Kara knew, but Willis did make the most of her times. Pulling a face, the normally perky blonde added some more syrup to her waffles. She could really make an impact and cause some trouble.

"I know you'll be careful," Helena said. Kara looked at her. "And I know no matter what, you can handle what you're up again."

"Yes, and I've got some pretty good friends to back me up," Kara said.

With a grin, Kara reached forward and noticed some syrup on Helena's lips. She reached forward and brushed it against her finger.

The Girl of Steel slipped her finger into her mouth and suckled on it. She closed her eyes when she felt her mouth wrap around her digit when she sucked it.

Helena didn't even blink, but she had nerves of steel.

"I'll be leaving," Helena said. "I'll keep you posted if anything happens."

Kara knew what Helena was talking about.

"And Tam will be by in the next couple of days with the papers for the penthouse, if you still want it," Helena said.

Kara knew Helena referred to Tamara Fox, the daughter of Lucius, who currently served as Helena's personal assistant/driver.

They had neatly side stepped around the Claire situation, but Kara felt more at ease. The chance of Claire being found was clearer now Helena hunted for her. Kara really did hope Claire just decided to return to Smallville. She would have to call Martha and find out.

* * *

Donna returned back to a trip to visit Diana, her mother, and the rest of the Amazons, and turns out she picked the worst time possible to take some time off. She frowned when she arrived back home.

She could see Kara standing a bit off to the side with a phone. Barbara just wrapped up explaining to her the chaos of what happened.

"Great Hera!" Donna exclaimed.

Barbara chuckled in response.

"Well, if there was a situation worth of exclamation, we had it."

Donna shook her head. She always picked the worst times to leave town.

"I wonder, if….I wonder if things would have not went as far if I would have been there."

"Yeah, super powered Amazon against crazy super powered Kryptonian," Barbara said. "I know you could hold your own, but the insurance rates are going to go…boom, sky high in Metropolis."

"Besides, I think Barbara and Helena did a good enough job."

Kara finished up her call, looking rather sour. She tried not to show it. Barbara turned and craned her eyebrow when she faced Kara.

"You did well in there as well," Barbara said. "And I mean, your non-super powered side was able to defeat your super powered evil side."

"Everything worked out….better than I hoped, but not as good as I wanted," Kara said. She sat down on the chair. There was a milkshake with her name which started to melt. "I got in touch with Martha, Claire didn't return to Smallville. Seems to me, Martha didn't know she left town at all."

"I hope nothing serious happened," Donna said.

Thankfully, Diana was level-headed. She was the hot headed, impulsive one. She couldn't even begin to think what Kara was going through.

Kara really thought about it. She wasn't sure what to think about it to be honest. She would like to say her cousin could take care of herself, but Kara wasn't one hundred percent certain.

"If you want to find her, then maybe you should look for her," Donna suggested to her.

"Maybe," Kara said. She remembered something else she needed to do. "I'm going to go and visit Doctor Swann in a little bit, to check up on how she's doing."

"She really does need to get a bodyguard, doesn't she?" Barbara asked. Kara and Donna looked at her. "It seems like every other week, she's getting kidnapped or something."

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" Kara asked. She cleared her throat and leaned back in the chair. She finally touched her milkshake. "But, STAR Labs does have some pretty good security."

"And no security is foolproof," Barbara said. Kara nodded in response.

They couldn't really take this conversation much further because Kara's phone went off. She checked to see who was calling her and realized it was Chloe. She stepped off to the side to take the call. "Hey, Chloe, what's up?"

"So, Lois called in sick to work today," Chloe said. caused Kara to jump up in surprise. "And judging by your non-response, I'm guessing you're about as astonished as I am she did so."

"Yes, but…she told you Claire skipped town, didn't she?" Kara asked.

Chloe gave a long and extremely prominent sigh over the phone.

"You know, she did mention about Claire skipping town, believe it or not. In passing and she's trying not to act like it's a big deal."

"What do you think?" Kara asked her.

"Claire's done the entire fit of angst thing before where she runs off for a few days," Chloe answered. "Give her time, give her time to cool off. Ten years of her mood swings, you grow accustomed to it in a strange way."

Kara nodded. "You called me for another reason, didn't you?"

"Yeah, Bruno Mannheim has been released from the hospital," Chloe said.

Kara sighed. Intergang was pretty much in a state of flux now. Ugly was in the hospital. She really didn't think the state of peace was going to last much longer, no matter how much she hoped.

"Yeah, I know, you've got a lot on your plate," Chloe said. "But, I feel you've got to really know."

Kara smiled. "Thanks for telling me, I really appreciate it big time."

"Hey, it's no sweat, really it isn't," Chloe said. "I wonder if Cheshire is going to finish off Mannheim now he's out in the open."

Kara paused. In all of the excitement, she almost forgotten almost all about Cheshire, and given she was the person who was partially responsible for her current state, didn't seem like a good thing.

A part of her wanted to settle an old score.

"I don't she disappeared after….what happened," Kara said. "But, we should assume she's an assassin and she could be out there somewhere, anywhere."

It was unfortunate for her, Cheshire was able to cause her separation. Kara recalled everything with a painstaking detail. She knew she would have a reckoning with woman someday.

* * *

Patricia Swann returned from her office, after finally being checked out of the hospital. It just seemed like another day at the office for her. It wasn't her own personal security this time; rather it was the security at the hospital.

There was a knock on her office door and Patricia looked up from her desk. She was putting her papers away.

"Come in."

She looked up in time to see Kara Kent walk inside. Patricia made sure there was no one outside before she reached around and locked the door behind her.

"I heard what happened," Patricia said. "Are you okay?"

"Physically or emotionally?" Kara asked.

Patricia closed her eyes for a moment. The scientist figured she got the best answer she was going to get out of question by what Kara said. The scientist couldn't help feeling a little bit guilty.

Kara looked at her, almost like she knew what she was thinking. She reached forward and placed her hand on Patricia's shoulder.

"You shouldn't really be blaming yourself for what happened."

"I shouldn't, but I am."

She moved over to get a cup of coffee for herself. She looked at Kara, with a frown.

"Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Thanks, but no thanks," Kara said. She leaned back on the chair and waited for Patricia to return to her. "I'm not sure what to say now. I might as well be public enemy number one, and isn't your fault. I should have known to not to rush in there."

Kara laughed. Not at the situation, well more like how she treated the situation. She pulled a page from Claire's playbook.

"Why is it we super heroes and heroines have lapses of intelligence at the worst possible times?" Kara asked her.

Patricia thought Kara posed an interesting question. She sipped her cup of coffee carefully when she surveyed Kara. Thoughts moved in her mind when she considered what she was asked.

"You know, I'm not sure if it's really a super powered thing," Patricia said. "It's….easy to make the logical choice when you're outside of the moment. When you're in the moment and tensions are running wild, logic does tend to take a backseat, doesn't it?"

Kara figured Patricia had a point. She thought a lot of people would criticize her. Their emotions were running high and she couldn't blame them. There were people who lead the super powered witch hunt brigade would rip her up to pieces.

Patricia allowed Kara to be left with her own thoughts. It was fine because she was pondering some matters of her own. The name of STAR Labs had a very checkered past, and she supposed their little experiment was not going to help spin any positive PR in their direction.

The scientist frowned and decided to continue.

"I wonder if we messed with something we never should have. I mean, the man turned into a deluded psychopath at the end, but you've got to take your hat off to Lex Luthor, he had some great ideas when he replicated the Golden K."

"Hmm, maybe," Kara said.

She would have to agree Lex did accomplish something no one else was able to do.

"And, we created something else worse," Patricia said. She drained the cup of coffee she had, before it got cold. "I don't want to even think about what would have happened if either side of you had been killed."

Kara decided to give a theory.

"Light cannot exist without darkness. If one of us died, both of us were going to fall."

"Did your super powered evil side figure it out?" Patricia asked.

Kara shook her head. Her super powered evil side didn't figure out light could not exist without darkness.

"I talked to Chloe, she mentioned Claire left town," Patricia said. Kara's eyebrow corked in response. Patricia realized the look she was getting was not one of Kara's more amused ones. "Is this a bad time to bring this up?"

"Just a little bit," Kara said. She sighed. "But, Claire did skip town just last night. She left a letter."

Kara couldn't say if the letter put her more at ease or less at ease. She realized she was twirling her hair, a bad habit she picked up when she was nervous or anxious. She stopped when she realized what she was doing.

Patricia wondered if there was more to this than meets the eye. She didn't want to ask Kara, because she didn't know whether or not there was some lingering moodiness from her misadventure with the Black K.

"I said some things to her, before she ran," Kara said.

Patricia nodded. "When you were under the influence?"

"Yes," Kara confirmed. "I told her it was her fault she lost her powers and how pathetic she was being without them."

"You did believe it, didn't you?" Patricia asked. Kara hesitated and nodded. Patricia frowned. "But, you tell her not the problem is it. Those were insecurities she believed as well."

Kara figured about as much. She could feel Patricia's hand on hers.

"No one really can appreciate what they have until they lose it," Patricia said. "Something I've learned myself a couple of times, and you learned as well."

Kara found herself agreeing. This entire mishap taught her a lot. Even after five years on Earth, Kara found she had a lot to learn and she wondered where she would learn next.

"Thanks Patricia," Kara informed her.

"No problem, given all of the times you've pulled my ass out of harm's way, anything you need, I can give it to you," Patricia said.

Kara gave her a teasing smile. "Oh, you know how rumors get started."

Patricia realized how what she said could be implied and she grew red in the face. Kara smiled, and she leaned forward. She kissed Patricia lightly on the cheek. "Got to fly, I've got a couple of people I need to meet and I'm sure you have a lot of work to do; now you're back in the office."

Patricia shook her head. "You honestly have no…idea."

Kara was gone. She must have picked up a trick or two from Helena. It was no less vexing when Helena did the sudden disappearing act. But at least they were in a period of calm where nothing insane would happen.

* * *

It was hard to tell when Bruno Mannheim was in a towering temper. The man was in a particular nasty and vicious mood pretty much every single day of the week. The payment he made to off the snoopy bitch Lane got cut off for some reason and he knew who did it. Then the bitch assassin he hired tried to kill him. Then he spent a while in the hospital to recover and then he heard Intergang was running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

He walked back to an empty warehouse, where there was no one here. The shipment he got sent was missing as well and didn't improve his mood at all. Needless to say, Mannheim was pissed and his mood was getting worse by the second. He was about ready to crack some skulls by the time he got to his office.

Mannheim made his way to his office door and opened the door. There was a click.

The moment Mannheim swung his door open, he was blown away. The impact caused him to land against the wall with a sickening impact.

Mannheim's neck snapped backwards and he was killed instantly.

A shadowed figure stepped out of the darkness. He was analyzing one of Mannheim's high tech toys. His grin grew fairly grim when he looked it over. "You didn't get the memo?"

He realized he was speaking to a corpse, but he didn't really mind.

"You see, there's going to be a few changes to Intergang, namely, the fact I'm in charge," the man whispered to the man on the ground. "And…it's not like anyone will notice you're gone, because I've got someone who can fill in with your role quite nicely."

He pushed a button on the side of the high tech energy cannon and it shot forward. It connected with Mannheim's body, essentially incinerating him. It left nothing, but a pile of ashes on the ground.

"Works good at cleaning up the evidence," the man said. "Doesn't work as well against a moving target, especially with people who have really bad marksmanship."

The man stepped out of the shadows to reveal Ace of the Royal Flush Gang. He looked down at the smoldering pile of ashes who was once Bruno Mannheim.

"Ah, cheer up, Ugly, you're looking better already," Ace said. "You see, the Royal Flush Gang gig…it was fun, for a laugh or two, and….well it was amusing."

His voice was more bombastic. He threw off the sunglasses he wore, allowing them to fall to the ground. He reached into a bag and took out an urn.

"The Bat's out of the picture, Superwoman and Lexy they're not around anymore, so now's the time to really broaden my mind and expand my horizons!" Ace said. His voice grew even louder and more bombastic. "And I figured, the best way to step in, is to step on your operation."

He cleaned up the ashes, placing them inside an urn. He would flush them later, a proper burial the likes of Mannheim deserved.

"You see, now the big blue girl scout is gone, Metropolis…it's not as fun, isn't it?" he said. He started to cackle madly and he reached up, tugging on the edge of his face. "I want to be here, and see loads of new smiles….loads and loads of new smile. And all of Metropolis will be smiling again!"

He peeled off a latex mask and revealed a pasty white face and wild green hair. The wildest thing of them all, was the permanent grin had been etched on his face.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, there's a new boss in town!"

The one and only Joker's laughter punctuated this statement.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on September 18** **th** **, 2015.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty: Birds of Prey Part One.**

* * *

"Three months later, we're still rocked by Supergirl, and her little rampage. She goes all crazy, and the people of Metropolis are left in fear. And what does the MCU do. Sit on their thumbs, and not hunt her down with every resource? And the vigilantes in this city grow every single day. The people on Metropolis are on the cusp of fear. They don't know who to trust, and why would they trust anyone."

The droning tones of Leslie Willis blared into the ears of the collective conscience of Metropolis. The recent events regarding Supergirl allowed the shock jock full license to spit her drivel.

"I say someone needs to do something. Say what you want about Lex Luthor, but the man had a right idea. These visitors are infringing upon our rights as people. Truth, justice, and the American way, please? Do these aliens even pay taxes? They cheat the American people as much as these fat cat businessmen who find tax shelter after tax shelter. They make me sick."

"About ready to hurl if someone doesn't change this channel."

Dan Turpin rubbed the side of his head. The hardened cop experienced a lot during his time in Metropolis. The droning sounds of Willis drove him to the breaking point.

Maggie Sawyer blocked out the sounds of Willis.

"You don't believe any of this crap, do you, Maggie?"

"I believe the Mayor believes it," Maggie said.

The Mayor wanted to step up any efforts to curb vigilantes. The fact an Election year snuck up upon the people of Metropolis had nothing to do with his sudden proactive stance.

' _Must be a coincidence,'_ Maggie thought.

Maggie's long shift at the Metropolis police department grinded to a close; the woman let out a breath. She hoped to get some rest, providing nothing happened to stop her from doing so.

"Good for you, you can go, I've still got a long night," Turpin said.

Maggie smiled. Many long nights loomed in the distance when the Mayor decided to crack down on the vigilante problem in Metropolis.

She rose to her feet, grabbed her coat, and left. Maggie heard not a peep on the city streets. She walked around to her car.

The Mayor put a lot of pressure on Maggie and the rest of the MCU to arrest Supergirl for her rampage. Also, the nutcase in the green hood stood prominent in the number one spot at Metropolis's most wanted.

As far as actual criminals stood, Maggie frowned and attempted to wrap her head around some of the weirder rumors. Intergang's activity tapered off over the last three months. A few notable mob figures disappeared into the night, and Maggie's suspicions rose regarding them vanishing.

The MCU turned into the anti-Supergirl task force. Maggie failed to wrap her head around the latest Supergirl incident. The girl cracked under the pressure, which Maggie understood given what her cousin went through.

' _Poor girl cracked under the pressure,'_ Maggie thought.

Maggie approached her car and moved to unlock it. She paused and a sound of crashing glass forced the cop to turn around.

Normal people brushed off the sound of broken glass. Maggie's cop instincts forced her to step into the situation and investigate it.

The broken glass came from a warehouse around the block. In the past, a low-level mob boss used it for a smuggling ring until Superwoman broke it up.

Maggie stepped closer. The window busted in. Whoever broke into the warehouse chose not to be subtle.

The police officer frowned and the door swung open. Why would someone break a window they could unlock a door. Maggie's conclusion proved to be spot on. Someone wanted to get somebody's attention.

' _Who though, me or Supergirl? Or someone else all together?'_

Maggie paused in the doorway and spotted bodies strewn all over the floor. Corpses in various state of decomposition appeared in her line of sight. The woman stepped forward. She recognized a couple of the faces from two warring mob factions on the east end. The parties involved became well-known, but not well-know enough to be put away.

The state of the body showcased whoever killed these mobsters killed them weeks ago.

An object cracked Maggie across the back of the head and caused her to slump down on the ground. Maggie blacked out without any idea of who attacked her.

* * *

Kara reclined in the chair of the Daily Planet, frowning. The latest news unsettled her. Intergang's activities dropped off over the last couple of months. In the weeks following their rampage, Kara ran into them less than less.

Supergirl worried more about the overzealous cops who wanted to gain favor with the Mayor. They did not have the ability to hurt her. Kara spent more time evading cops these days them chasing the bad guys.

The latest news involving Intergang showcased some of the weirdness going on in Metropolis. Kara flipped through the paper.

' _Mobsters on the East end disappear….these guys butted heads with Intergang. Wouldn't be surprised if they're being a bit more cerebral with their actions.'_

Kara snorted at her own thought. Mannheim and cerebral joined hand and hand about as well as her cousin and subtle.

The thought of Claire put Kara in a sour mood. Kara pushed Claire the furthest out of her mind as possible. Kara resumed her reading of Lois's story on the attacks on the East Side.

' _No causalities, the mobsters disappeared, and nothing from their cache is stolen.'_

Speaking of Lois, she walked up the stairs with intentions. To be more accurate, she stormed up the stairs, rushing back to her office.

"Hey, Lois," Kara said. "Where's the fire?"

Lois turned to Kara. The look Kara found herself under made the girl shiver. Lois's looks inspired a bit of a chill down her spine.

"The problem is there's no fire, at least not right now," Lois said. "I chased down a story, and ran into a dead end, but….I've been running into dead ends all week."

Kara's eyes widened in recognition.

"You haven't heard from Claire, have you?"

"No, she leaves me a note and disappears for three months," Lois said. "I thought you had people on her ass."

Kara's hands threw up into the air and the girl sighed.

"I do have people on her ass, it's like she dropped off of the face of the Earth, without any kind of trace, and I don't even know what to do know. But, I guess Claire can take care of herself."

Lois raised her eyebrow and leaned in towards Kara.

"Are you trying to convince me or you about the fact Claire can take care of herself?"

Kara's burning gaze met Lois. The blonde rose up to her feet and for a brief second, Lois thought Kara might punch a wall in frustration.

The frustrated heroine pulled herself back at the last minute. Her breathing became higher. Lois placed her hands on Kara's shoulders. The moment Kara didn't pull back, she leaned in.

"Don't worry, I miss her too."

"I don't miss her," Kara said.

Kara pulled away from Lois, and she walked off to the windows. The girl peered out the window. She couldn't even convincingly lie to herself, much less Lois.

"Okay, fine, I do, but….you can't deny she became a barrel of fun to deal with when she was here, you know."

"Oh, believe me, Kara, I know," Lois said. "Do you feel guilty?"

"What would I feel guilty about?" Kara asked.

"Her powers," Lois said. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "You haven't found a way to restore them, haven't you?"

Kara shook her head in negative.

"You'll find a way, I know you have the ability to do so."

Lois walked over to her desk and a news report waited for her. The woman's eyes narrowed.

"What is it, Lois?"

The reporter paused for a few seconds. Kara's mood proved to be a stormy one given her recent problems.

"A member of the MCU vanished last night. She left work, but never made it to her car."

"Who was it?" Kara asked.

"Maggie Sawyer."

Kara let out the breath she held. A skilled cop such as Maggie Sawyer vanishing off into the distance caused Kara a fair amount of concern. Maggie struck herself as the self-sufficient type who more often than not handled herself.

"Someone really dangerous must have gotten to her," Lois said.

Kara came to the same conclusion. She racked her brain. Maggie stumbled upon something she should not.

"Lane, could I have a word with you for a second?"

Perry White's booming tones echoed from the office. Lois interpreted Perry's words leaned more along the lines of a demand than a question. The reporter took quick strides over to Perry's office.

"Yes, Perry, what can I do for you?"

"Kent resigned, and we're short one reporter. We need someone to fill her desk."

Lois threw her hands up in protest and looked at Perry.

"Claire is going to be back eventually," Lois said.

"I'm aware she might be back eventually, and given someone of her skills, the door's open for her to return. But, I can't wait for her to deal with whatever personal problems she's dealing with."

A perky young blonde looking fresh at of college entered the office. The bright and sunny expression dancing in her eyes put Lois off of her in an instant.

"Claire's replacement?" Lois asked.

"Lois, this is Catherine Grant, Grant, this is Lois Lane, one of our top reporters."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet the Lois Lane!" Cat exclaimed. She reached on in and grabbed Lois's hand for a handshake.

"Yeah, pleasure to meet you too, Catherine," Lois said. She shifted her head so the young reporter failed to notice Lois rolling her eyes.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine, and call me Cat. You were the one who named Superwoman, and you met Supergirl and Superwoman, and it must be amazing to meet them. And all of the stories you've done, you were front and center when General Zod invaded, and the entire Doomsday thing, and…"

Cat rambled on and on. Perry cleared his throat, and leaned in to Lois.

"Kid's fresh out of college, but I think she's done well in the rag she was with before. Time to show her the ropes, Lane."

"Always give me the dangerous excitements, don't you, Perry?" Lois asked.

Lois rubbed the top of her head. Did a headache threaten to bubble out? The woman couldn't tell at the moment.

* * *

A summit of notable and not so notable gangsters rolled into Metropolis. One of the top mobsters attending the summit leaned in the back of the car as it drove all the way to the city.

"So, how's things going with your daughter, Frank?"

Frank Bertenelli's face curled into a prideful smile and he leaned towards his fellow mobsters.

"Helena is at the top of her class at the Gotham Private Academy."

"Good for her, Franco, good for her. My boy, you need to literally shove a book up to his ass to study."

"I don't think you get the meaning of the term literally, at least I hope you don't, for your kid's sake."

Frank chuckled at the banter, and leaned back. His daughter made something of herself, and Frank's pride beamed on through. His daughter should not be involved in this business. Frank stepped too far into the world.

Made some good friends, made some worse enemies, but overall, Frank considered the underworld connections he made to be important in building a life for his family. Being a respected mob boss allowed one a certain amount of security, in Gotham City.

"Mannheim really thinks he's hot shit, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, but we all know Edge is the real power behind Intergang."

"Is he now? He can't be too powerful if he's behind bars."

"You're shitting me, right? The kind of money Edge has, he can buy his way out of prison any time he wants. He's biding his time. Mannheim's his stooge on the outside."

"He's not the brightest bulb in the box, or the prettiest."

"Well, they call him Ugly Mannheim for a reason."

A police car skidded out in front of the limo with the mobsters inside. The road blocked for them.

Frank rolled down the window of the limo and peered out to the officer.

"What appears to be the trouble….OH SHIT!"

The officer crouched down onto the ground with a rocket launcher. The officer aimed the rocket launcher and fired. A rocket blasted from the launcher and cracked against the side of the limo hard.

The limo flipped over with the mobsters inside. The police car doors opened up, and the so called police men exited.

"Make sure you make it good, the boss really wants to send a message to these pretenders."

The goons stepped in and drew their guns.

A figure swooped down from the rooftops and landed behind the mobsters. The stunning blonde woman dressed in leather and fishnets opened her mouth. A loud sonic cry emitted from her throat and caused the alleged police officers to flee in terror.

The Black Canary caught one of the stragglers with a huge kick to the face. Her boot cracked against the face of one of the disguised police officers.

She grabbed one around the head, flipped up, and slammed her onto the ground.

Frank pulled himself out of the car, and collapsed on the ground. Blood poured from his mouth. A hole ripped into his chest showed his life measured only in moments.

Black Canary finished laying the smackdown on the cops. The moment she took care of them, she rushed to one of the mobsters. Despite his criminal activities, she needed to help him.

"Hang on, I'm going to get you out of here."

"Too late….Thorne set me up…..tell my daughter I'm proud."

Frank Bertinelli drew his last breathe, and faded to black.

* * *

Dan Turpin wore a hole into the carpet of the MCU headquarters, pacing back and forth. Maggie disappeared yesterday, and for the past few hours, he turned Metropolis upside down in an attempt to look to her.

A black hole swallowed Maggie or she fell off the face of the earth. No signs of foul play, but no signs everything turned out alright.

' _She's tough, Turpin, about as tough as they come. Makes you look like a soft peach, doesn't she?'_

A figure fluttered in the window. Turpin turned his attention to the figure and frowned.

"You do realize I'm under orders to arrest you."

"Yeah, I know," Supergirl said.

Turpin sat down in the chair behind his desk.

"But, you won't arrest me, will you?"

"Nah, got far more important things on my plate than helping some scumbag politician pad his Public approval rating. I think he's upset because his sugar daddy got cut off when Luthor popped his clogs."

' _So the Mayor and Luthor are friends, actually, not too surprising come to think of it. Luthor is the type for sure, isn't he?'_

"Any leads on Maggie?"

"Not a one."

Supergirl raised her eyebrow and leaned towards the woman.

"I'd think you'd be knocking down every door to find out where she is."

Turpin's eyes fixed on Supergirl's. The vigilante and the cop shared a common purpose for a second.

"I know you've got shit on your mind, but….I wondered if you could get in touch with your friend, the Bat, and see if he….or is it a she now?"

"He's dead," Kara said.

"Yeah, I feel like I need to keep a score card with all of you capes. Seems like you're dying, coming back from the dead, or getting a sex change every other week….could have sworn the nut in the Green Hood used to be a guy."

Kara shrugged in response. She knew the score about Artemis, but decided not to inform Turpin about it.

"Some people in the MCU want Maggie to disappear. They have it real personal for her, given she's known to be one of the biggest supporters of you and your older sister."

Kara viewed the detective, not bothering to correct him about the misconception regarding Claire and Kara and what relationship they had.

"What about you?"

"Well, they regard me as a right pain the ass no matter how you slice it, so people are going to be pissed off whether I supported what you do or not."

The heroine regarded Turpin for a moment. Gruff and hot-headed maybe, Turpin stood up for what he believed in. Even if people seldom appreciated someone standing up to what they believed in.

"People consider me to be dangerous after I flipped out."

Turpin rose to his feet. He stood eye to eye with Kara.

"You fucked up a couple of scumbags, big deal. You're entitled to have a bad day, we all are. Not like you stopped by an orphanage and beat the snot out of a bunch of nuns."

The hard-boiled detective reached over on his desk and lifted up the one piece of evidence he acquired. The evidence wrapped in a bag and shined in Kara's eyes.

"Maybe you can make heads or tails of this. People are going to make it disappear anyway. This place is getting about as bad as Gotham before Gordon took over."

Someone opened up the door. Turpin turned to tell Supergirl she needed to leave, only she left. The young officer scrambled into Turpin's office. Papers spilled out of his arms. Turpin turned to face the officer.

"Your time, but you better have a good reason for barging in here, son."

"Turpin, there's been an attack. Visitors from Gotham, mobsters, and the people who attacked them dressed like MCU."

"There weren't any MCU officers there, were there?" Turpin asked.

The young officer shook his head in response. The words "Gotham City Mobsters" made Turpin realize his job grew even more perilous. Someone in Metropolis poked a very nasty grizzly bear, getting Gotham's most infamous involved.

"Better see who is behind this."

"The mobsters have been knocked out, the songbird chick attacked them, and dropped them off, a few of the mobsters died."

"The songbird chick?" Turpin asked.

"You know, the one in the fishnets?"

"Oh, you mean the Canary," Turpin said. "Yeah, not surprise….one of the disguised cops, or one of the mobsters."

"Gotham mobsters, name is Bertinelli. GCPD already is being called in."

Turpin groaned. He recognized the name from one of the heads of the five main families. Intergang poked the bear and followed up by kicking the bear in the nuts before stealing the bear's honey.

* * *

Helena Bertinelli, known as Ella to her friends, stepped out of the Gotham City Private Academy. She moved to join her friend Bette Kane, the two of them planned to hang out after school.

A uniformed police officer stepped towards her. Ella stood rigid for a few seconds and took in a deep breath. The daughter of the mob boss detested cops on sheer principle. Gotham City cops earned respect from her the least of all.

"Miss Bertinelli?"

"Yes, I'm her," Ella said.

"I'm sorry, your father died in Metropolis. His car crashed and he couldn't be saved in time."

"My father died of a car crash?"

"A sad accident, sorry," the cop said. "If you'd come with me for a moment, I can take you into protective custody."

Ella refused to believe the protective custody news as much as she refused to believe the fact her father died in a car accident.

"I left my coat in my locker; do you think I could go get it?"

"Hurry up," the cop said.

' _All heart.'_

Ella rushed back into the school. Her father told her to never go anywhere with a cop, or anyone dressed like one.

The people still stood in the private school hallway. Ella reached around and pulled the fire alarm.

Panic occurred after the students scrambled to the exits. Never fails, a fire alarm provided the necessary movement.

Ella ducked to the crowd, and made her way out of a different exit. The fifteen year old girl rushed into the football field.

She spotted two GCPD officers searching for her. The two of them lost sight of her.

' _Got to lose the pigs.'_

Ella's running jump propelled her over the fence. She rushed down the hill, and made her way into the woods.

Taking a taxi in Gotham, a stupid idea under most circumstances, but most cabbies kept their mouths shut if you paid their fare in full. Ella gathered together the money she intended to use to go shopping. Her father afforded her an allowance.

Using her credit card left a blinking trail to her location, and Ella wanted to avoid it.

She fired off a text to Bette.

 **Sorry, something came up. Talk to you, in a few days, I hope.**

Ella tossed her cell phone down a storm drain, and hailed a taxi.

"Drive to 3808 Augusta Drive."

"You know that's in the middle of nowhere….."

"I've got money."

The cabbie shut up after the fifteen year old girl waved a fat stack of cash underneath his fat face.

"3808 Augusta Drive it is."

* * *

"Wakey, Wakey, Eggs and Bakey!"

Maggie Sawyer's head throbbed. Someone splashed water in her face and woke her up. A stacked blonde dressed in a tight black and red fest, and tight black pants with a painted face and pigtails looked at her. The woman straddled Maggie.

"Give her some room to breathe, Harley!"

Maggie recognized the woman as known former Arkham inmate and former Arkham doctor, Harleen Quinzell, or Harley Quinn.

She stared and face to face to face with a pale faced man. The man's green hair stuck up in different directions. A permanent grin etched on his face, and he dressed in a purple suit.

Maggie tried to free herself, but collapsed in the air. The officer stared in the eyes of the legendary Joker. She faced many criminals before. These eyes belonged to a soulless killer. Maggie shivered. Many of the urban legends tied to the Joker chilled the woman to her bones.

"Wrong place, at the wrong time, my lady. But, you know what they say about opportunity. It's a perfect breeding ground for chaos, and I'm all about the chaos."

His laughter split Maggie's skull and gained even more volume.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on September 22** **nd** **, 2015.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One: Birds of Prey Part Two.**

* * *

Dinah Laurel Lance, better known as Black Canary, slipped into the side entrance of the Penthouse. The fishnet clad crimefighter entered the window. An old friend waited her the second she entered the penthouse.

"You know, the conventional entrance is the best entrance sometimes. Or is this too much to ask from a crime fighter?

Barbara Gordon dressed in a black tank top, a black pair of leather pants, and black boots. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and wore a pair of glasses. The prodigal young woman resembled a person who put herself hard at work at something or another.

"So, what's in the news from Gotham City?" Barbara asked.

"You heard about the gentlemen who had been attacked on the way to the summit, haven't you?"

Barbara's arms folded, gaze meeting Dinah. The two old friends met eye to eye with each other.

"Yes, I've heard of the attack. I don't know if anyone believes the line they're trying to shove down the throats of people. I mean, mobsters get into a car accident coming in from Gotham City. I've only paid half attention, but there's a storm brewing in Gotham. And it could be spilling into Metropolis if half of the rumors are true."

Dinah sighed. Any kind of Gotham City storm proved to be the least of their problems. She gripped Barbara by the shoulder.

"It's…..no, I'm not going to buy it. In fact….."

The curtain whipped open to interrupt Dinah's statement at the finish. Kara joined the two of them, still dressed in full Supergirl attire.

"You know, it's a good thing we don't have any nosy neighbors," Barbara said. "Because, super heroes bursting in here through the window is bound to gain all kinds of attention."

"Sorry about the dramatic entrance," Kara said. "I need your help, with Maggie Sawyer. I found a lead about her disappearance, but not a good one."

Kara lifted up a bag. Barbara viewed the contacts of the bag. A broken chunk of wood rested in the bag.

"Not the best clue to go off of on, I know," Kara said. "But, it's about all we could find. And the MCU has swept Maggie under the rug. She doesn't register."

"It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact she's been a supporter of the Girl of Steel, would it?" Barbara asked.

"Funny enough, it might be," Kara said.

Kara's eyes peered out of the window. She sensed a change in the guard in Metropolis. Intergang's activity changed. Mannheim grew more cerebral in his attempts to consolidate. Cheshire attacked him and caused Mannheim to become a whole new man.

' _Really weird when you think about it,'_ Kara thought.

Kara turned to Dinah, turning her attention to the fishnet clad siren for the first time.

"Dinah, it's good to see you again, I wish I could see you under better circumstances. So, how are things in Gotham City?"

Dinah smiled. She walked over to the couch to sit down. Kara joined her.

"The usual, Gotham City has its periods of eerie calmness, and the calmness shows itself to be the prelude of an even worse storm. With Helena out of the picture, Gotham City is even more dangerous than ever before."

"Bad?" Kara asked.

Dinah sighed as she mentally went over everything happening in her mind. You had to be a Wayne to piece together everything.

"Badder then bad. I don't know, with the Roman getting knocked off of his pedestal a few years back, a power vacuum has opened up. Maroni and company lost a lot of influence; Black Mask is still dangerous as ever. The Penguin's gone legit, but he still has his fingers in as many pies as ever. Many of them not really legal."

Kara pulled a face at the recap of some of the most notable mobsters in Gotham City. Dinah flipped her golden-blonde hair from her face.

"Then there's Rupert Thorne."

"What about Thorne?" Kara asked.

"Well, Thorne set up this summit and may have set up these mobsters to be killed. The bastard's pretty crafty. He fancies himself as some kind of Kingpin of Gotham City. And now, he drew his enemies into Gotham City. One of them told me Thorne set them up."

Kara touched her hand to her forehead. Did this complicate everything? The Girl of Steel knew a mob war from Gotham lingered on the bottom ten of her list of activities for a fun day.

"I've got to return back to Gotham City. Another lead to follow there. Wish I could help here, but good luck."

"Believe me, I understand," Kara said.

Gotham City needed help, like Metropolis did. Kara moved over to assist Barbara with her investigation.

Black Canary disappeared as soon as she appeared. Kara sighed, certain a sudden disappearance proved to be a Gotham City trait.

* * *

Ella returned to one of her father's safe houses. Safe enough to crash the night, at least until the young heiress figured out what to do with her life.

' _I need to find a place to hide out until it all blows over. Safe house doesn't live up to its name, now does it?'_

Ella stood in the front hallway. She noticed a light on in one of the rooms. A light on, and no one entered this place but her for months.

The sound of broken glass brought Ella closer to the edge. The mob princess listened in to figure out what exactly she stepped into. At least two people threw objects around upstairs. Neither intended to be quiet, or conceal the fact they searched for something.

Ella made a split second decision. The mob heiress peered into the hallway. The mobsters upstairs failed to leave any kind of look out.

' _At least any kind of visible look out.'_

The ransacking continued upstairs. Ella tensed up for a second when the men stopped talking.

Ella's two options became clear. Get out of here, and call the police. The same police she never trusted, and the same police who might be in the back pocket of these mobsters. The same mobsters who might have been behind her father's death.

No go, Ella thought calling up Gotham's finest is a no go.

The other option presented itself, and Ella made her way back out the front door. The ransacking continued. Ella paused for a moment. What did they think her father had? Who sent them?

She stopped at the door. The girl's compulsion struck her in an instant. Ella vowed to find out what these men looked for. And did they have any connection to her father's death? Ella clenched her fist at the thought?

A pair of strong hands gripped Ella from behind. Ella struggled against the grip of the man who grabbed her. The big unshaved gorilla wrapped his arms around her.

"Looks like you picked the wrong house to crash at, princess."

Ella ran straight into the look out. He concealed himself very well. The mob princess struggled against the grip of this large man. For her, he tightened his arms around her with a crushing maneuver. The more Ella struggled, the tighter the unshaved gorilla wrapped his arms around her slender waist.

"Your breath, it smells terrible."

Ella elbowed the goon in the face. The goon's group loosened and Ella hauled off to kick him in the groin.

The part-Italian girl smiled. No matter how big you are, she nailed the bastard in the stones, and he dropped for the count.

She rushed out of the door. The scrambling of his two fellow goons down the stairs indicated to Ella time ran short. She needed to slip away.

The two goons exited the house. Both of them looked around, but the girl slipped out of their sight.

One of them picked up a cell phone.

"So, do you have it?"

"No, we can't find it anywhere. I thought you said it would be in this joint, somewhere."

"Bertenelli hid it there, I'm sure of it. You better keep searching. The cops are going to be interested in any dirt he might have had, leverage against us. His father, one of the top five mob bosses in Gotham City at one time, and Franco knew where a lot of the skeletons got buried."

"Well, shame he got in a car crash, especially given the fact he left a headache behind. And a real mess for us to clean up."

Ella sat still in the bushes. The mobsters stood about five feet away from her. If one looked around, peered down, they peered into the bushes, and spotted Ella in her hiding spot.

The girl knew all about her father's night work, but she distanced herself from it. She wondered who these men worked for.

The men stepped inside to resume the search. Ella held her breath for a moment and slipped out of the bushes. She made her way to the gates, and hoped to find some answers.

The best place to find an answer lurked in one of the worst parts of Gotham City. Ella geared herself up.

* * *

The Joker left the premises. The good news, at least for Maggie, panned out to the fact the Joker left her and did not kill her yet. The bad news, for everyone out in Metropolis, the Joker loomed over them like a tornado. Just waiting to strike and cause the most amount of damage possible, and she shuddered to think what his plans were.

Maggie heard Harley humming a tune. She bounced up and down. Maggie found her body bouncing up and down to be very distracting.

"What's the Joker up to?"

Harley turned to Maggie and narrowed her eyes at the cop.

"What do you mean what's the Joker up to?"

"What's his plan, Harley?" Maggie asked.

Harley paused and walked over to Maggie. She looked over her shoulder to ensure no one listened into the plan. The moment Harley verified no one listened in, she leaned in face to face with Maggie.

"Well, I'm not sure if the Joker has a plan, if he hasn't, he never told me. But, you see the thing about my puddin' is he's a spontaneous kind of guy. He goes with the flow, because the world's a whacked up place when you really think about it. Hell, even Superwoman's baby sister lost her fucking mind because she had one really bad day."

The jester sighed, and smiled.

"Just like Mistuh J always said, all it takes is one really bad day to shove a person over the edge. Or in his cast, a really bad day and a chemical bath. And Batman pushed him over the edge. But he's gone now, and it means I don't have the competition for my dear sweet Puddin' anymore. I swear, he talked about Batman twenty four/seven, it was always Batman this, Batman that, talking about all of his schemes to fuck with the Bat."

Harley finally needed to breathe. Maggie's eyes averted to the face to the crazed female jester.

"Why are you with him, Harley? Why are you with the Joker? I've read the records, and he's thrown you out of cars to lighten the load….."

"One time, ONE TIME!" Harley yelled. She started to breathe in and out heavily. "Jeez Louise, even the weirdo who talks to ants doesn't get as much flack for what he does, and he's far more of a psychopath than my dear sweet puddin' is."

Maggie rolled her eyes.

"Hey, you don't believe me, do you?"

"It's not like I don't believe you, Harleen, but you can't deny the Joker hasn't shot you, stabbed you, and put an exploding whoopee cushion on the passenger seat of the getaway car just for the hell of it."

"Hey, my ass healed eventually!" Harley said. She took a deep breath. "But, like I said, all of this happened when Batman lived. Now Batman's gone to the big belfry in the sky, things have changed. My puddin' is a reformed man. He's gone legit, he's gone big time. You'll see how special he is!"

Maggie recalled the song and dance many other women told her about their men. Battered women existed all over the world and Harley resembled the poster child for them.

"You think he loves you, but he doesn't know how to show it?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah, you've got it, good, I'm glad you got it!"

Maggie frowned. The poor deluded girl's ideas of what love is twisted around in a pretzel. Given the woman's past history, Maggie wanted to pinpoint the exact instance where she turned out to be so warped.

"You know, you're something else, Harley….I hope you….."

"Yeah, you hope for a lot of things, better hope whatever happens, is going to happen. Because, you're nothing, but bait for some kind of trap, you know."

"What kind of trap?" Maggie asked.

Harley's lips curled into a frown. The crazed jester's frown deepened and she sighed.

"You know, I'm not sure what kind of trap there's going be. Mistuh J was kind of a mime on the particulars. Which is strange, because Mistuh J doesn't like mimes, he doesn't find them funny at all, but I'm pretty sure whatever trap you're being baited for, I'm sure it's going to be a barrel of laughs."

Maggie groaned and not because her run on sentence made Maggie's brain hurt. She much preferred being killed, than being a damsel in distress. She tried to figure out a way out.

"Oh, it's time for you to go to sleep now, I think!"

Maggie's eyelids grew heavy. The MCU officer faded into a state of comatose.

* * *

Barbara suited up as Batgirl to join Supergirl on the investigation for the missing Maggie Sawyer. The two crime fighters arrived outside of an abandoned warehouse. Batgirl sighed.

"Metropolis's economy isn't much better than Gotham, you know."

"What do you mean, Batgirl?"

"You know all of these abandoned warehouses. Not exactly the sign of a booming economy. And a breeding ground for a criminal empire. I don't really know what to tell you about this."

"Our little clue pointed us here, though," Kara said.

Barbara nodded.

"Five years ago, this warehouse folded underneath massive debts. I know, hence why people think it's an abandoned warehouse. It's not an eyesore in the middle of Metropolis no one owns. It belongs to Bruno Mannheim."

"So, Mannheim owns this place?" Kara asked.

"Yeah. Word on the street is he uses this place as a storing house for some of his weapons."

Kara sighed. She knew all about Mannheim's weapons. Two men walked around outside of the docks. Homeless gentlemen at first glance, but a closer look pointed out to Kara something else loomed in the distance.

A bad feeling passed through her. The feeling worsened when something stirred in the darkness. Kara lingered closer to the edge. Barbara touched her hand to Kara's.

"I feel it as well," Barbara said. "Something bad?"

"Worse than bad," Kara said.

The two of them passed the gentlemen outside, through a blind spot. They entered the warehouse. Stacks and stacks of crates greeted them. Kara frowned and looked over the crates.

She lifted one of the crates up and pried it open.

' _Wonder what kind of weapon he got his hands on this time.'_

The glint inside the crate belonged not to the weapon, but a crystal vial of some substance. Barbara lifted another crate and opened it. More of the same vials lingered.

Barbara ran a scan on the substance, and the prodigal young woman hitched in her breath. Kara's eyes turned at Barbara, waiting for a response.

"It's Venom!"

"You mean the drug Bane uses?" Kara asked.

"Yes. Or to be more accurate, it's a drug derived from Venom. There's enough derived from Venom, but there are changes. I know someone put a watered down form of Venom on the black market, but this proves it.

Kara raised an eyebrow. If every crate contained Venom samples, Mannheim acquired enough of the juice to empower an entire army.

"Why would such a dangerous drug fetch a good demand on the black market?"

"Venom is more powerful than any steroid, and undetectable by drug tests. At least until the users go insane, their livers fail, their kidneys fail, or they turn into a vegetable. Then it becomes obvious. But people have done worse to themselves for a short term moment of glory."

"More powerful than any steroid, but kills them faster, doesn't it?"

Barbara frowned and nodded. The lengths people took to be bigger and stronger alarmed her. Perfection came at a price.

"We're going to have to destroy these crates," Kara said.

"So, are we taking a page out of the Arrow's playbook?"

"Do you want any of this stuff out on the street?"

Barbara conceded Kara's point. She thought of the best way to destroy the juice, where none of it remained intact.

"I think we should also look for the manufacturer as well, because….."

"Step away from the crates."

Batgirl and Supergirl turned around. Three muscular goons stalked them. Kara looked over them.

"Don't worry, I got this."

Kara flew at one of the goons faster than a speeding bullet. She punched the goon in the face. The goon staggered back a step. He blocked a second punch and flipped Kara over. He launched Kara halfway across the factory like a used tissue.

Batgirl groaned the second the goon attack.

"Great, they're using Venom, and they've injected it straight into their….."

The second goon charged Batgirl. Batgirl dodged out of the way of the goon's attack. Her adversary crushed a cinderblock behind her.

Batgirl slid a tazer out of her glove, and jabbed it into the chest of powered up thug. He bellowed in pain, and Batgirl blinded him with sparks from her gloves. The thug doubled over. Batgirl never eased up on her attack to kick the enemy in the face.

The other two goons surrounded Supergirl. Supergirl flipped into the air, and kicked one of the thugs in the base of the neck.

"DESTROY YOU!" the goon bellowed.

Supergirl slid out of the way of the thug's attack. The thug smashed through the wall into a table.

The thug groaned. Several needles on the table impaled into his body. Kara watched the needles impale into his body, injecting him with more of the venom.

"YES!" the thug yelled. His eyes bulged and his skin bulged.

The thug's head expanded. To Kara's horror, said head exploded from the overdose. Blood splattered Kara's costume.

The third super powered goon grabbed Supergirl's cape and flung her against the wall. The Girl of Steel dented the wall. The Venom thug rushed Supergirl, but she avoided the attack.

He punched through the wall. Kara used her ice breath to create a ring of ice around his hand to stick him into the wall.

Kara nailed the goon with the full force of one huge Supergirl punch to the head. The goon's head snapped back. Blood splattered out of his nose and mouth.

The final goon followed up the attack on Batgirl. Supergirl rushed off to the side and speared the goon out of Batgirl's way.

Supergirl flew back over to check on Batgirl.

"Thank, I owe you one," Batgirl said. "LOOK OUT!"

Supergirl flew into the wall when the venom-powered thug recovered. The Girl of Steel crashed into the wall with a huge punt. She slumped against the wall from a violent impact delivered.

The thug smashed the pillars and caused the warehouse to start to collapse around them. Batgirl dodged the attack, but her cape caught underneath a piece of falling debris.

A large chuck of debris flew down, smacking against her. Numbness spread over Batgirl's lower extremities.

The thug collapsed in the rest of the debris. His heart pumped his last breath.

Supergirl dug Batgirl out of the debris.

"Kara, I can't feel my legs."

"Don't worry, Babs, I'll get you to the hos….SHIT!"

The Anti-Vigilante Task force arrived. Of all of the times, they arrived, it would be this one.

"No, no hospital, please."

Kara failed to find a reason to argue with Barbara. She scooped up Barbara and flew her out of the collapsing factory.

Maybe not the best idea to move her at this point, but Kara's options limited due to the idiots from the Anti-Vigilante Task Force breathed on her neck.

* * *

The bad part of Gotham City received a reputation for a good reason. Ella walked, pulling her hood over her face. The chill of Gotham City's notorious winter rattled her bones, and her teeth as well.

The side entrance to the club might be where she found answers. Ella needed to sneak into the club, given her status as under twenty-one.

"You stepped into the wrong part of town, sweetheart."

A group of tattooed, scarred thugs stepped into the alleyway. They blocked her way out of the alleyway. One of them stepped behind her to block the doorway into the club.

"So, do you punks have a gang bang you're late to? Or maybe a rap concert?"

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to see your ID, if you're running down this neighborhood."

The leader of the pack pushed down Ella's hood. The half-Italian female looked back at him. Her dark skin made her elegant features stand out. Her slick black hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Perfect little piece of jailbait aren't we? Must be about sixteen, or so? Well, we like them raw."

One of the goons griped her ponytail.

"And this will work for grabbing on when we take you in the backd…..YOU BITCH!"

Ella kicked him in the groin. One of the lead goons grabbed her. Ella dug her fingers into the the eyeball of the goon, and punted him in the jewels. He dropped to the ground.

She scratched her way out of the attack, and bit one of the goon's on the fingers. Ella regretted putting his fingers in her mouth because he tasted terrible.

Three of the goons jumped her at once and held her down to the ground.

"She's a feisty one isn't she? Good, like it when a bitch doesn't lie there, and make me do all of the fucking work."

Ella squirmed, and headbutted one of them. Blood splashed into the air, and she slid away, knowing she backed against the wall.

The gang bangers fell to their knees. Their hands clapped around their heads. One of the goons threw up before he passed out.

Ella looked up. A blonde woman dressed in black leather, a jacket, and fishnets approached her.

"Wonderful, I'm saved by some fucking hooker. Great."

"My name is Black Canary."

The woman reached forward to assist Ella to her feet. The mob princess slapped away from her hand. She rose to her feet on her own accord, and stepped on the head of one of the bastards who tried to have their way.

"You're one of those fucking do-gooders, aren't you? Great, now I wish you were a hooker! I'm pretty sure I could afford you if I wanted to."

Black Canary frowned at the young girl's mouth.

"So, what do you want?"

"I've been looking for you," Black Canary said.

"If you're going to take me to the police, you can take a hike to the street corner you walked in from. Thank you for saving me but…"

"I know who killed your father."

Ella's sharp tongue ceased at this news. Her eyes widened and gasped. Dare she hope?

* * *

 **To Be Continued September 25** **th** **, 2015.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Birds of Prey Part Three.**

Rupert Thorne reclined in his office in Gotham City. The large office matched up along the lines of the rest of them. The man dressed in a really elegant three piece suit. He dialed up one of his contacts in Metropolis. Rumors reached him of the status of a couple of operations in the city. One ended up well, the other not so well.

Sweat rolled down the face of Thorne. Some of his rivals breathed down his neck. The man ran Gotham City crime like a well-oiled business, but some did not understand how to accomplish this. The old style mobster slipped out like a dinosaur, the one who lacked a sense of business. Thorne was all about business.

"I need to speak with Mr. Mannheim."

Thorne awaited the answer on the other end.

"Mr. Mannheim will be in with you shortly. He's wrapping up a meeting."

Thorne hated to be kept waiting. The man drummed his fingers on the table and waited for Mannheim to answer his call. Time grinded by with each tick on the clock, and he hated waiting. Time was money, and if Thorne lost time, he lost money.

"Yes, Mr. Thorne, what can I do for you?"

The rough voice of Bruno Mannheim answered Thorne. Thorne worked with Intergang in the past, more so with Morgan Edge. Edge's time in prison continued.

"Did you do it?"

"Yes, the people conspiring to overthrow your empire have been offed. Bertinelli and his men, they didn't even put up a fight. The problem is the Black Canary showed up and threw down with them."

"The Black Canary?" Thorne asked.

"Yeah, I trust you've heard of her."

Thorne knew the Black Canary. The heroine ruined several of his operations in the past. The fat man gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

"She didn't stop me from offing Bertinelli. Check the newspaper, he's dead. I'm sure you already knew about it though. You wanted to ensure our other operation is going on schedule, don't you?"

"Yes, I want to know if the other operation is on schedule. With the Venom….."

"One of the facilities is compromised, but other than the compromising of the facility, everything remains on schedule, and tight as possible."

Thorne clenched the phone cord until his knuckles grew white. He coughed for a second and recovered.

"What do you mean the facility is compromised?"

"Well, Batgirl and Supergirl ran into three of our test subjects, and….I managed to piece together the security footage. Turns out those two girls didn't end up on the better end of the stick."

"Double up the security on the other facilities. I don't want anyone else compromising shit, do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear Rupert. My boys are already on it right now. Hope this doesn't roll back around you. Business has come up, talk to you later."

Thorne's eyes averted to the door where two of his thugs stepped into the doorway.

"Likewise. I'll be in touch."

Thorne motioned for them to enter. The two thugs resembled those who had been through the ringer.

"Well? Did you find it?"

"Searched high and low, but if Bertinelli stashed it somewhere, we don't know where it is."

Thorne placed his hands flat on the desk. The large man raised himself up to peer at the thugs.

"I only thought there might be a chance. The information being out in the open is uncertain."

"Do you think he might have brought it with him to Metropolis, boss?" one of the thugs asked.

Thorne raised his hand and scratched his large chin. Every now and then, one of his thugs brought up a sound point, one which made him consider what they said.

"You bring up a sound point. We shouldn't really discount it, should we?"

The thugs shook their head. One of them raised his head up and leaned to Thorne.

"We've got one more problem. Bertinelli's daughter, we ran into her at his safe house. She escaped before we could nab her."

Thorne rose to his feet. He walked over to the cabinet and removed a dusty bottle. The man poured himself a glass of wine.

"She may have seen too much. But she's valuable when alive, at least until we find out how much she knows. Tell the boys to keep an eye out on her in the usual places. Someone like her will want to know where her father is."

X-X-X

"Okay, you saved me, thank you, I guess. But, I swear if you're stringing me along….."

The two of them made their way up a set of stairs. Dinah cut a good place due to being in good shape. To her credit, Ella kept up with her. Running from mobsters for half of the day did a good job in warming a person up.

"We need to get to a safe place. People are going to come after you….."

"Please, you act like I haven't had nutcases come after me before," Ella said. The girl rolled her eyes. "HELLO! I'm the daughter of the head of one of the five mob families in Gotham City."

Which, Ella noted, meant a little less than it did when her father grew up; it did offer Ella a sense of security. Black Mask ruled his end, Thorne's commission ruled things. Cobblepot took a path along the straight and the narrow, but his path on the straight and narrow allowed him to perform his business.

' _Yeah, about as legit as a three dollar bill.'_

"I know you've been in danger before, and I understand if you're scared."

"Please!" Ella yelled. "I'm not scared."

Dinah decided she would not engage Ella or rather argue with her. They made their way to the Penthouse suite. Dinah opened the door and allowed both of them inside.

Ella took a look around the penthouse. Pretty high class place, but she lived in luxury thanks to the blood her father spilled.

"Sit down, make yourself at home."

"Why, I'm not going to stay for long?"

Dinah's eyes narrowed at Ella. Ella swallowed and backed off. She sank down on the couch and folded her arms.

"Does this belong to you? No offense, but it looks a little high class for someone dressing like you do."

Dinah let the girl's comments brush off of her back. She made a conscious choice to dress the way she did. The comments of others did not bother her. Some teeny bobber with an attitude did not bother her.

"I'm minding it for a friend when she's out of Gotham City. She won't mind us using it as a place to crash."

Ella's arms folded.

"Yeah, if you don't tell me what's going on here, I'm going to have to…."

The woman's cell phone rang. Dinah sighed. She held her hand up and looked at Ella through narrowed eyed.

"Hang tight, I'll be with you in about five minutes."

Ella hung tight. The curiosity of what happened to her father overrode any disgust she might have with being saved by one of those capes. Granted, this one lacked a cape, it would make her look even trashier come to think of it, but still.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Well, one of Mannheim's factories went up in Gotham, and there's a rumor Supergirl and Batgirl perished in the explosion. I'm looking into it….but….."

"Any luck on our friend?" Dinah asked.

"None yet, I'm not going to give up on her. I don't care if it seems like she's fallen off the face of the Earth, I'm going to keep searching for her."

Dinah's worry about two of her friends being caught up in something dangerous increased. The woman tried to tell herself everything would be alright, even if everything proved to be less than alright.

She turned to Ella after a second.

"I need to go check up on something. I'll be back in an hour….."

"And you need to be to swear to be a good little girl scout and stay here," Ella said. The girl struggled to keep the disdain from entering her voice.

"Something along those lines," Dinah said. "I'll tell you everything when I get back, an emergency's come up."

Ella folded her arms. Did she have much of a choice? Ella refused to admit this in front of one of the good guys or girls, but the encounter with the gang in the alleyway spooked her. Gotham proved to be a much scarier place without her father's protection.

The girl stood up and took a look around. Ella gasped. The Black Canary put her in an apartment belonging to Helena Wayne.

' _Won't hurt to take a look around, will it?'_ she thought.

X-X-X

Kara hovered over Barbara. The sad state the girl found herself in caused the Girl of Steel despair. She struggled to figure out what to do, but she needed to figure out what to do. Getting Barbara to the Fortress became her number one priority and Kara stabilized the damage.

The Girl of Steel breathed a sigh of relief when she stabilized it.

"So, what's the damage?" Barbara asked.

"Well, not as bad as it could be," Kara said. "You feel your legs now?"

Now, Kara mentioned it, Barbara had been reminded of a rather unfortunate fact. She winced as she tried to stretch out her legs.

"I feel they're broken, and boy does it hurt like hell," Barbara said.

Kara squeezed Barbara's hand. If they did not get her the medical treatment at the Fortress, she could become paralyzed.

"The good news is you're not paralyzed. The numbness left you before we got back here. "

"May I suggest a mild sedative to help ease the pain?" Lara asked.

"Oh, go for it," Barbara said. She held onto Kara's hand. Her presence made the pain far more bearable. "Anything to make this suck a little less, I'm all for it, you know."

"You're going to be on the shelf for a long time," Kara said. "Unless you want permanent damage."

"Shelve me, I don't want permanent damage," Barbara said.

A call patched on in.

"So, it's me," Chloe said. "You're at the Fortress, aren't you?"

"The only place I can get Barbara medical treatment without the Anti-Vigilante task force breathing down my neck," Kara said.

"Dinah heard about the rumor through a third party, and….she wants to talk to you," Chloe said.

"Okay, can you patch her through?" Kara asked.

Chloe moved in to patch Dinah through. They didn't have to wait long to hear her voice.

"What the hell happened?" Dinah asked.

"Well, we're not dead, if you're wondering," Kara said. "Barbara got in a really bad accident and it wrecked her. She's on the shelf for a long time, but she's being treated by Lara at the Fortress. I got out of there, with a few bumps and bruises, but nothing more than the usual day in the life of a caped heroine."

"Fair enough," Dinah said. "Any luck with Maggie?"

"No closer to when we got out," Kara said.

She never forgot about her task to find Maggie Sawyer. Barbara's injuries sidetracked the task. Now, Lara treated Barbara, Kara's worry returned tenfold, maybe even a hundredfold come to think of it.

"So, now I'm okay, you can focus on it," Barbara said.

"You should rest," Kara said.

"Thanks, Mother," Barbara said.

"She has a point, Babs," Dinah said. "What's the extent to her injuries?"

"Numbness in the lower half of her body, might have been more serious if she did not keep herself in such good shape. Broke both of her legs as well, along with a slight concussion and some bruised ribs. Lucky it didn't end worse than it."

"Lucky, I'd say so," Dinah said. "So, what's your next move?"

Kara frowned.

"Good question. Maggie's a priority for obvious reasons, but with the Venom in Metropolis, and someone modifying it, I don't know what."

Kara's mind swam with a million questions. Questions she knew she might not like the answers to. Someone mass produced one of the most dangerous and powerful performance enhancing drugs in the world.

Not Mannheim's style, he worked with the smuggling of weapons. Something happened which made Mannheim work out of character. Perhaps he sweated because of Supergirl screwing up his plans at every turn.

Kara frowned. Something didn't really add up, although she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

"Well, this is interesting."

"What's interesting?" Dinah and Barbara asked at the same time, despite being a fair amount apart.

"The tracker I put on Turpin is on the move."

"You slipped a tracker on him?" Dinah asked.

"Yes, I did," Kara said. "Are you surprised?"

Dinah laughed.

"I'd be more surprised if you didn't. A move worthy of one of the Bats. You think he's going to get himself into some kind of trouble?"

Kara frowned for a long moment. Her shoulders slumped in an obvious sigh.

"You know, it's Turpin. The man's a cowboy cop, someone who doesn't worry about the consequences. And if one of his friends are in danger, he's going to move heaven and Earth to find him."

"Do you think Mannheim might have something to do with this?" Dinah asked.

Kara pondered the question for a good long moment. The young woman shook her head.

"No. It's not in Intergang's playbook to mess with the cops. They would never dare do anything to ruin any really cushy job they might have. And if they mess with the cops, they're going to get hell brought down to them."

"Edge, maybe, but what about Mannheim and some of the questionable decisions he made recently?"

Kara conceded Dinah's point after a good long thought.

"You know, he's a loose cannon. Really surprised Edge hasn't tightened the leash on him more, even from prison."

Dinah sighed.

"Tell Barbara to take it easy….well I'm pretty sure she's listening in on this conversation now. But tell her to take it easy. And be careful out there, Kara."

"I'm always careful," Kara said.

"I've got my own loose cannon to take care of, in the form of a mob boss's daughter. Guy's name is Bertinelli. Thorne set him up."

"Well, I'll leave you to it, then," Kara said.

X-X-X

Bruno Mannheim relaxed in his office. The door creaked open and a loud and slow clapping announced the arrival of the one and only Joker.

"Bravo, Bravo, an ace performance as Mannheim. They should have you up for the Academy award! An Oscar, an Emmy, and a Grammy!"

"I fail to see what my performance has to do with music," "Mannheim" said.

"It's so good it hit all of the right notes!"

The Joker laughed like a hyena on crack. The clown prince of crime slid out a chair and plopped himself down in front of the desk of the leader of Intergang. His mouth curled into a vile grin.

"Sure, I had to kill a few of Mannheim's goons to make it work, but hey, we can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs along the way!"

The messy little incident involving the real Mannheim and the vaporizer ray proved to be a bit too much. The witnesses served their purpose as fish food.

"And Mr. Karlo, I'm going to have to thank you for your efforts. You almost had be fooled. If I didn't know better, I thought you'd be Mannheim."

"Of course, I almost had you fooled," Basil Karlo said. "I'm an actor, I make people believe."

"Well, this is the best role of your life, I can assure you, Mr. Karlo," Joker said.

"And I'll be happy to keep playing along, as long as the money in my bank account is good."

"Hey, this entire deal is a high budge production, so of course you're going to get a cut!" the Joker exclaimed. "Did you not think of me as a man of my word? It cuts me to the quick, breaks my heart. Sure it's a black one, but hey, something's got to pump the old blood."

Mannheim's face contorted into the Joker's and back into Mannheim's.

"Good, now there's something bound to put a smile on anyone's face," Joker said. "And I guess you put my smile on yours!"

The Joker's trademark laughter increased. He rocked himself back and forth, breaking out into a raucous fit of laughter.

"Oh don't worry, you're going to get everything coming to you, Karlo, you can take it to the bank, and with interest."

Joker adjusted his tie and grinned.

"Now, if you excuse me, I've got to prepare to make my grand debut. Not going to let the cat out of the bag just yet. Although, by this point, the cat's already dead from being in the bag so long! Not the first cat I offed in my life!"

The crazed criminal cackled at his own dark humor. Karlo raised an eyebrow for a second, but did not say a word.

Best to let the Joker run through the motions. The folks who failed to allow the Joker run through the motions often ended up with a knife being run through their torso.

X-X-X

Dan Turpin picked up a hot tip. A witness came forward and claimed he saw someone who resembled Maggie being forced out of her car by one of Mannheim's goons. Eyewitness accounts proved to be sketchy in the past. This witness in particular, Turpin ran into in the past. The man made up some outlandish tales in the past.

Turpin followed up any lead possible. He entered the abandoned warehouse.

' _Swear to god, always an abandoned warehouse. Fuckers don't have any sense to mix it up. Oh well, makes my job a lot easier.'_

Turpin stepped into the back room. He hit the jackpot. Maggie slumped against the chair.

"Maggie, hang on there…"

The cop rushed to untie the woman. Whoever did this to her took extra care to make sure they rendered her unconscious.

Guns clicked behind Turpin. Turpin raised his hands and turned around. He spotted three mobsters with guns directed on him.

"So, Mannheim ditched the Sci-Fi shit? Or does he not think I'm worth it?"

"On the ground, Turpin," one of the goon said.

"Nah, I think you're the ones who should drop to the ground," Turpin said.

Turpin's words barely left his mouth. A blur shot out of a different direction like a cork. Her attacks dropped the gang members one by one.

Supergirl hovered over the downed gangsters, making short work of them.

"Wondered when you'd turn up," Turpin said.

Kara moved over to Maggie and untied her.

"Help me get her out of here."

Turpin rushed forward to do as the girl told her.

"You saved her, I can't be seen for obvious reasons."

"Might boost your cred a little bit if you're seen doing heroic deeds," Turpin said. He realized how stupid it sounded. "Right, nutcases like Willis, they'll twist shit around. Can see why you want to keep things quiet."

Maggie's eyes flickered open.

"Trap," she said.

Kara heard the woman's weak tone and frowned. The doors blasted open. Several Intergang goons turned up with the high tech weapons.

"So, there's the Sci-Fi shit, worried for a moment," Turpin said.

Supergirl noticed the bulging muscles belonging to the goons. One of them stared her down with the same look the one in the factory did. She smacked headlong into a dozen venom empowered goons along with about a dozen well armored and well-armed Intergang thugs.

' _Wonderful, makes my day much better, doesn't it?'_

X-X-X

Ella lost her patience with the woman who brought her here. The woman inched to the window and came seconds away from exiting the window.

"Going somewhere?"

Ella sighed and turned around. The Black Canary's arms folded. She gave her a look like a disapproving older sister.

"You never told me who ordered the hit on my father. Do you know, or are you playing games?"

Ella stood up to her full feet, even though he came up to Dinah's cleavage. The teenage girl slumped down for a moment.

"Your father said with his dying breath, Rupert Thorne killed him."

The girl's eyes narrowed for a moment.

"Really, Thorne….well it makes sense. The fat bastard's had it out for my father for a long time. He doesn't play by his rules, so he'd scrub him. Allows Thorne to move up in the food chain."

Ella thought about it. She wanted to pay the bastard back for what she did to her father.

"So, what are you doing about Thorne?"

"I'm trying to figure out where he is."

Ella's smile deepened the longer she looked at the Black Canary.

"And you haven't had any luck with it, have you?" Ella asked. "It happens I know where he is, or where he might be hanging out. And I'm going to make him pay for what he's done."

Ella turned to leave again. Revenge filled her mind about what Thorne did to her father. The girl's fingers already packed up a few weapons she discovered through her exploration in the penthouse. One of them turned out to be a rather elegant crossbow where if she got a good shot, she could put one through Thorne's fat face.

"And do you think you can kill him if push comes to shove?"

Ella paused for a moment.

"It's far deeper than your father. And if you want justice done, then we should do this the right way?"

"Oh, really?" Ella asked. "What's the right way, anyway? Are we going to rely on the GCPD for justice. Or maybe Batman…ooh right, he's not around anymore."

Dinah grabbed the girl by the wrist and pulled her into the center of the room.

"You're not going anywhere."

"Well you're not going to find Thorne without my help, so it looks like we have a little bit of a problem, don't we?"

Dinah sighed, but did not relinquish the grip around the girl's rest. Ella's point rattled her in the back of her mind.

"If you want to help, we'll do things my way. I need to know if you can handle yourself out there."

"Handled myself just fine," Ella said. "I could have taken those gangbangers if you hadn't stuck your nose in."

Ella's protests fell on deaf ears. The older woman marched Ella out of the building. The girl's bag bulged.

"And next time you steal from a billionaire heiress, could you be a bit more subtle about it?"

The wind cut into them as they made their way outside. A handsome looking motorcycle waited for them.

Dinah reached onto the motorcycle and pulled a helmet which she passed off to Ella. Ella placed it on.

"Oh, this is going to mess up my hair."

"So does cracking your head into pavement," Dinah said.

Ella looked at the motorcycle.

' _Cool looking ride, not I'll admit it out loud to the likes of her. Can't let her know I'm actually starting to tolerate her presence. Guess she's not another do-gooder after all.'_

 **To Be Continued on September 29** **th** **, 2015.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Birds of Prey Part Four.**

* * *

Rupert Thorne chilled in his office chair. The crime boss expected a nice, quiet night to occur without any kind of complications. A buzzing echoed from his intercom. Thorne leaned forward to answer it.

"Yes, Candace, what is it?"

"Sir, the shipment from Metropolis has arrived. Ugly Mannheim's men dropped it off now. He says to consider it a gift to cement the partnership you've had together."

Thorne corked an eyebrow. The mob boss wondered why Mannheim sent over the new toys this soon. The potential kingpin of Gotham City failed to look a gift horse in the mouth. He reached over and pulled himself to a standing position.

"Thank you, Candace, I'll take care of it right away."

Thorne turned on his heal and departed from his large office. The mob boss walked until he reached a group of his men sitting around, playing cards, in a side room. Thorne cleared his throat, and the leader of the pack's attention diverted to Thorne. The cards half hung from his hand.

"Yeah, boss, what do you need?" the goon asked.

"The shipment's arrived," Thorne said. "I think we all better go out to take a closer look at what Mannheim brought for us."

The goons dropped their cards, and followed their boss to the elevator which led to the storage garage. The garage located under the casino proved to be the perfect venue to traffic stolen goods. Thorne chaperoned them inside the elevator and pressed a huge button. The elevator lowered down to its destination.

The doors cracked open, with the elevator allowing them plenty of room to exit. Thorne exited the elevator followed by his men. Two more of his men stood outside of the truck, guarding it. The face of the Gotham City mob boss developed one of the biggest shit eating grins someone could imagine. He turned to his men.

"Well boys, Christmas came early, and brought all of the other holidays along."

Thorne stepped into the truck to get a closer look at the hardware inside. Upon first glance, Thorne zeroed in upon one of the larger cannons.

"Yes, it will do nicely, boys."

Thorne hoisted the cannon into the air. He pressed the lever of the cannon and fired it. The energy blast from the cannon impacted a set of boxes and destroyed them.'

The thugs looked on with awe at the destruction. A couple of them stepped back in terror, not wanting to be struck down by any attacks. One of them looked at their boss, and spoke up. One might call him either brave or a fool, the jury still did not decide what quality he possessed.

"So, you can destroy a few boxes?"

Thorne lowered the weapon and turned the man in question. He addressed the man in a very calm demeanor.

"My young friend, this can destroy more than boxes. Someone commissioned these weapons to take no less than Supergirl down."

A few of the thugs looked on in awe. They only heard of Supergirl, and her recent rampage on Metropolis made the thugs very grateful the Girl of Steel steered clear of Gotham City. On the other hand, a couple more thugs looked less than convinced.

"Mannheim had these weapons to take down Supergirl, but she's still flying around and cracking skulls. It seems to me they don't do a really good job."

Thorne's eyes narrowed for a second. Had he been another mob boss, the goon knew he'd find himself in an entire world of shit. Since Thorne's attitude towards his men leaned more on the casual end, the thug lived to breathe another day.

"They're insurance, the chance Supergirl crosses our path are minimal," Thorne said.

"We've got another problem," another thug said. "Word out on the street is Black Canary's investigating Bertinelli's death. What if she comes here?"

Thorne frowned, and cupped a hand to the edge of his chin. The man in question leaned in to his thugs.

"I wouldn't worry about Black Canary. I dealt with Batman during his peak."

Thorne turned around and walked off. He picked up the phone and dialed up Mannheim.

"Just to let you know, once this is all said and done, I expect you to be holding up your end of the bargain, as I'll be holding up mine."

Mannheim's voice crackled into the phone.

"Don't worry, Mr. Thorne. I'm a man of my word. You'll get everything which is coming to you, and more than you can handle."

The two men cancelled their conversation. Thorne wondered what Mannheim's real game is. The man used to be less open with making a deal. Now he opened the door and made deals all over the place.

' _The pressure of dealing with capes must have gotten to him. Trust me, I know the feeling.'_

* * *

Dan Turpin lifted up a fire extinguisher and clonked it over the head of one of the empowered creatures. The empowered creature turned around and flicked Turpin against the wall like an annoying insect.

Kara drove her fist into the lower back of the creature. Her arms wrapped around the head of the creature, who struggled against her grip.

The creature shook Kara off. Kara bounced against the wall and tried to shake off the attack.

The Girl of Steel assessed the entire mess around her. She fought the creatures alone after taking out the armored goons. Piece of cake compared to the creatures.

' _Okay, I have to outlast them.'_

Kara dodged the creature. Two of the creatures attacked each other in an attempt to get to Kara. Kara slid back. The two creatures swung large punches at each other. One of the creatures collapsed, with a groan. His body gave way to the attacks.

The second creature wobbled on jelly legs. Kara decided to assist the creature on its road to dream land by smashing the beast in the chest. The creature wobbled back and collapsed to the ground, wind knocked out of it with her attack.

Kara outlasted three of them, three more to go. One of them lifted up a huge metal box and hurled it at the direction of the downed Maggie Sawyer.

The Girl of Steel caught the box. She hurled it back into the chest of the creature who threw it at her. The box flew at super powered speed at it and knocked the creature out.

"GO DOWN!"

Turpin swung an axe handle at the back of one of the creatures. The axe on the axe handle stuck into the back of the creature. The goon's attention turned to Turpin, and he started to snarl. Turpin stepped back, hitching in a breath. He may have bit off a bit more than he could chew.

The venom-powered goon grabbed Turpin by the scruff of his neck.

"OH SHIT!"

The creature hurled Turpin through a glass window and onto the pavement outside of the factor.

Kara pulled herself away from one of the creatures. She propelled high into the air. The creature looked up in time to eat both of her boots into its face. The creature's spine arched back. The venom caused rage in it. The creature reached up to try and strangle Supergirl, but she avoided the creature wrapping its ugly hand around her neck.

"Too slow!"

The venom-powered monster dropped to the ground. Kara blasted him with a kick to the face to put him down for the count for good.

The final creature lifted up one of the energy cannons and hurled it at Kara.

' _Thankfully not smart enough to actually use one of the fucking weapons.'_

The Girl of Steel caught the energy cannon. She locked onto the creature and fired. A ball of green energy shot through the chest of one of the creatures.

The energy burned a gaping hole through the monster's chest. The monster staggered around in agony. Kara fired heat from her eyes two more times.

The attacks rendered the monster an inferno. He stalked Kara with anger and hatred burning through his eyes.

The trigger on the energy cannon refused to fire. Kara understood the problem with high tech energy cannons. Most of the time, they failed to work when a person wanted them to work.

The woman punted the energy cannon at the speed of light at her enemy. The cannon struck him in the head.

The cannon nailing the creature's face at high velocity proved to be the blow Kara needed. The creature collapsed down to the ground.

Kara fell to the ground. The yellow solar energy invigorated her. She outlasted the venom powered goons. Six of them showed to be worse than three, and these creatures appeared to be more dangerous than the ones she fought before.

She bent down and picked Maggie off of the ground. Her shallow breathing indicated the woman still lived, although in a pretty bad state. Kara hoisted Maggie off of the ground and flew out. She picked up Turpin.

"Fine, take care of her," Turpin said.

Kara disagreed with the assessment of Turpin being fine. The cuts in his skin from the broken glass told a fairly different story than a man who might as well have been fine. The Girl of Steel escorted both of them to the hospital.

The empowered heroine ensured the people at the hospital noticed the two battered police officers, before flying off into the night.

Kara's relief spread through her body. Whatever Mannheim intended by kidnapping Maggie, it didn't take. She wondered if the man ever had a plan.

* * *

Ella cracked her knuckles. She ached for one thing and one thing only. Retribution against the man who killed her father, or at least ordered his death; Ella knew the balance could be settled if she finished off Thorne.

Dinah stood at Ella's shoulder, a calm hand pressed against her shoulder. The leather clad heroine wondered what they dealt with now. Thorne ran a good chunk of Gotham City and the man's resources made the life of many people difficult.

"I don't know why we're waiting around," Ella said. "We know the murdering bastard is in here somewhere. Time to put him down, and make sure he stays down."

"Hold on there," Dinah said. "You can't go bursting in there…"

"Well, us sitting around is not doing us any favors," Ella said. "Thorne is here for an hour every night. Our window is closing up. If he learns we're onto him, we'll never get another chance."

Dinah frowned. The temperament teenager's point resounded in her eye.

' _I'm not sure if I ever was this impulsive,'_ Dinah thought. _'And I likely….yeah maybe as a teenager. It's a teenage thing, go figure.'_

"I think I might be able to help."

Barbara's voice caused Dinah to jump about ten feet in the air. The woman folded her arms over and adopted the stern "older sister" mode. Given her own dealings with her own sister, Dinah acquired an ample amount of experience.

"Barbara, you should be resting," Dinah said.

Ella frowned, wondering who Dinah talked to. Some girl named Barbara by the sounds of things.

"Hey, I'm on my butt in a computer chair. It's not like I'm doing anything. I'm going to go nuts if I don't really do anything. You know how I am, don't you? You know how I don't like to rest for a long time."

"I know," Dinah said. "Believe me, Barbara, I know."

"Oh, and call me Oracle, I'm sure you're getting some weird looks from your companion," Barbara said.

"Sorry, you caught me off guard," Dinah said. "Adopting your old high school hacker name?"

"Some time's you got to get back to basics," Barbara said. "The entrance of the East wing is the least secure. Only one guard, and a security panel you need to get into. Get me remote access, and I'll work my magic."

"We're heading in," Dinah said.

Ella's hand slipped out from underneath her chin. The girl almost fell over at the shock they actually might do something.

"Really, we're actually going in?" Ella asked. "I thought I'd might die from boredom waiting for something to happen."

Dinah reached into her bag and pulled out a headset. She placed it on Ella's head. The young girl frowned.

"So, can you hear me?" Barbara asked.

"Yes, I can hear you….um…you're the voice in Dinah's head?" Ella asked.

"Yes, call me Oracle," Barbara said. "You can get in through the least secure entrance on the East wing. All you have to do is take care of the security guard."

Ella noticed the security guard. She raised her arm, crossbow and all. The woman armed her device in an attempt to fire at him.

Dinah grabbed her hand, and held her back.

"If you're going to go in, you need stealth so you don't get caught."

Ella scowled when she lowered her arm. The girl flipped her hair around and rolled her eyes.

Dinah slipped in from behind the shadows. She grabbed the guard by the neck and brought him down to the ground with one move. She dragged him into the shadows.

Ella stepped from the shadows. The Black Canary emerged with the key card. She swiped it against the door and stepped inside.

"Okay, three steps to your right, there should be a panel."

Black Canary entered the facility and grabbed the panel. She opened it up and linked up inside.

A bored looking Ella watched the magic being worked. A popping sound entered her ears. The sixteen-year-old girl stood straight up and frowned.

"And we're inside," Barbara said. "Easy part done. The hard part is the area where Thorne hangs out is one of the most secure areas in the hotel. And off of the rest of the network. So you're going to have to pick your shots and make them count."

"Don't worry, I'll make them count," Ella said.

"Elevator should take you up," Barbara said.

"We'll take the stairs," Dinah said.

Ella threw her arms up in the air as if to say "c'mon" to her companion. Take the stairs, really? The two of them scrambled up the stairs with Ella keeping up with Dinah as the two made their way to the top-level.

"Why would Thorne want to kill your father?"

The question Oracle posed caused Ella to stand in the air. Good question come to think of it.

' _Guess I better leave Thorne alive long enough to explain before I put him down.'_

Black Canary and her companion made her way up the stairs. Several floors up, and a couple more to go.

* * *

Mannheim reclined in his office. The man lit up a cigar. Time for a celebration, he thought.

The door pushed open. One of Mannheim's goons entered. His hands shook, but he steadied them enough.

"Boss, Sawyer, Supergirl rescued her, and took her off to the hospital. They beat a bunch of those weird steroid goons you made as well."

"You mean the ones I enhanced with the Venom?" Mannheim asked.

"Yeah, those, those freaks, but….Supergirl got away, and she rescued the cop. And she knows where one of our warehouses is now."

Mannheim slipped his hand underneath his chin. The man's lips curled into a smile. The goon stared down Mannheim, unable to believe how calm he acted.

"Everything is going according to plan, relax."

The goon stood up straight, unable to believe what Mannheim said. The warehouse, one of the bases of Intergang since Edge ran it, compromised by the Girl of Steel, and the goon hated how Mannheim acted calm.

' _I could have done a better job running this shit than a punk like Mannheim. Why did Edge put the bastard in charge? I'll never know."_

"We should have killed the cop before Supergirl found her. She got in our way before, and she's one of the ones who is willing to poke around too much."

"I told you, everything is going to plan," Mannheim said. "But, I thank you for the report. I'll figure out what I need to do next."

"Yeah, yeah, sure, sure," the goon said.

He stepped out of the office with an agitated glint in his eye. The Intergang goon turned the corner and reached a phone inside a secondary office.

' _Going to have to talk to Edge. Something's up with Mannheim. I don't like it.'_

The goon reached to the phone and began to dial in the number.

"Sorry, your number cannot be completed as dialed."

A cloud of gas filled the room. The goon started to gag and slumped to the ground. He crashed down to the ground with a sickening thud. A wide grin appeared over his face.

The one and only Joker stepped into the room. The goon never completed his phone call.

"I'm going to go public when I'm good and ready. I'm almost ready, but it's still a bit too soon!"

The Joker broke into a fit of laughter. The clown prince of crime threw his head back, the laughter growing more disturbed and insidious. He dragged the downed good into the shadows, point having been proven.

* * *

Black Canary stuck her head around the corner. She turned back to the temperamental and impatient teenager who waited for her.

"Are you sure you should be taking her on a mission like this?" Barbara asked.

"Please, this is far less dangerous than some of the missions you went on when you were her age," Dinah said.

"Yes, all of four, five years ago," Barbara said. "I wouldn't recommend doing some of the things I did then either. And I wouldn't recommend Batman as the barometer for deciding safety either. But, then again, you only suited up because you had something to prove."

"Yes, thank you," Dinah said.

Seven years after adopting the Black Canary moniker, Dinah liked to think she grew on and beyond certain things.

"And the coast is clear."

Ella's attention snapped in the direction of her companion. The two of them made their way to the hallway.

"Thorne's office, of course, it's the most extravagant room in the entire hotel," Ella said. "The bastard's likely thinking about all of the money he's going to have after…."

A bunch of goons stood on the floor. They turned their attention to the two women arriving.

"Look, it's Black Canary, and her sidekick!"

Ella's eyes narrowed at the implication of being anyone's sidekick. She drew the crossbow she borrowed from Helena Wayne's apartment. The woman fired a bolt into the side of her neck.

Black Canary opened her mouth and sent the goons flying with a super powered Canary cry. They all dropped to the ground, nursing their ears.

"So much for stealth!" Ella yelled.

A second group of goons joined the downed first group. One of them packed a flame thrower. The goon pulled a trigger and caused a huge fireball to shoot out. Ella and Dinah dodged the attacks before the fireball wiped them out.

The two girls swept in from either side. Black Canary set her sights on the goon with the flamethrower.

Another flame thrower blast forced Dinah to vacate outside of a window. The goon fired a blast and she barely avoided being sent down.

Ella directed a crossbow shot to the back of one of her enemies. The goon went down to the ground.

Dinah averted her eyes to the glass pane on the window. A nasty little idea formed in the back of her mind. She opened her mouth and one ear splitting Canary cry shattered the glass and forced the goon with the flame thrower to abort the attack.

The ledge Dinah stood on gave way. She almost fell to her doom, but Ella grabbed her and yanked her back into the building.

"What, I'm not going to let you fall, I'm not evil," Ella said. "And we better….."

Flamethrower cut off Ella's words. The scorched wall behind them shined with a sickening black ring around it.

Ella picked up one of the dropped weapons and pulled the trigger. She fired the weapon, incinerating the arm of one of the goons. Her attack caused the woman to drop the flamethrower.

' _Note to self, her and Artemis can't meet,'_ Dinah thought. _'The body count would be too high.'_

'Good thing my father taught me how to fire a weapon," Ella said.

"We're not out of the woods yet," Dinah said.

A third group of goons turned up. A dozen of them, all pointing dangerous weapons, approached Ella and Dinah. The two of them stood off with the goons.

Ella pulled the trigger of the weapon she grabbed. It sizzled and shorted out in her hand. She dropped the weapon to the ground.

"This fucking sucks," Ella said. "I guess I'm going to have to go back to…."

The word "basics" never left Ella's lips. A super powered blur shot in. The blur bounced off of them.

"Get her!" one of them yelled.

The henchmen pulled the trigger to the weapons. The weapon jammed with a whine, and one of them widened his eyes.

"I don't fucking believe it!" the goon shouted. "I can't….WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!"

"I don't know," another goon said. "But, I can't….well this fucking sucks."

The blur took them out in short order. The thugs fell down to the ground.

Ella walked away and broke into Thorne's office. Only to find it empty, with no Thorne sitting behind his large desk.

The tempered teenager fired a huge kick to the side of the desk. The only thing she received happened to be a stabbing pain in her big toe.

' _Fucking wonderful, fuck this! I don't even know….fuck this!'_

Ella cursed out her luck. Not only did she failed to fine Thorne, but some girl scout saved her.

"Oracle sent me," Supergirl said. "She figured the two of you got into a sticky situation."

"All of their weapons jammed," Black Canary said. She picked up a weapon and pointed it at a blank one.

Nothing, still jammed. Black Canary dropped the useless weapon to the ground.

"I can't believe I got saved by some fucking Girl Scout!"

Supergirl turned around. The mob princess stood at the end of the hallway, folding her arms.

"You might be confusing me for Superwoman," she said.

Ella lifted up one of the goons. She marched him over to the open window.

"Alright, spill your fucking guts. Where is Thorne?"

The goon spit in the face of Ella. Ella let him fly out of a nearby window and hurl to the ground at an intense speed.

The goon came inches away from plummeting onto the ground, thanks in part to Supergirl catching him at the last moment.

"So, do you need any further incentive?" she asked.

"Thorne….he left….he left….had to do business with someone else on the other side of town, I don't know where! After Mannheim shipped the shit in, he left straight away!"

Ella folded her arms and scowled.

"Worst night ever."

"Well, you're night's about ready to get a lot worse," Oracle said. "You might want to hear this."

A very familiar voice broke in from the airwaves.

"You know, I didn't want to public go this soon, but too many busy bodies nosing around, forced my hand. For those of you who don't know me….what kind of rock have you been living under? I'm the Joker! And I interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring you a special message."

Supergirl listened to what the Joker said, along with the rest of the world.

"Life's gotten downright dull ever since the Big Bad Bat went to the big old belfry in the sky. Therefore, I've taken control of Metropolis. I gave Thorne a bunch of useless shit as well, while taking a good chunk of his money to fund my debauchery. The weapons I made, when they work good, they work like a charm. When they don't work good, they're a bitch! Oooh, boy, are they ever a bitch!"

The Joker's insidious laughter spread.

"I've made you dance like little puppets on a string. You see, ever since Lex bought the farm, things haven't been the same in Metropolis. Someone needs to fill the void. Someone needs to get Metropolis a better class of criminal. Why not yours truly, the one and only Joker!"

Ella clutched her fist. She realized at once who masterminded her father's death. Thorne's involvement should not be underplayed.

Supergirl and Black Canary both remembered from past experience having the Joker hang over your head never resulted in good times. They wondered what his next move by be.

All played the waiting game, even those who despised such a game.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on October 2** **nd** **, 2015.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Consolidating Resources.**

* * *

Barbara returned to the Penthouse which Helena loaned them for use of their activities. The girls agreed about it being good they were able to remove themselves from being underneath the thumb of a pesky landlord.

"So, are you feeling?" Kara asked.

Barbara stretched a little bit, and pondered Kara's question. Straight forward as Kara's question might be, Barbara thought about it a little bit.

"I'm better than I think I could have been if I didn't get care at the Fortress. You know, I'll be on the shelf for some time because of this. Guess you can't win it all."

Donna, who returned from being out of town, plopped down on the couch next to Barbara and Kara. The Amazon Princess craned her neck for an instant to take a look at the two girls who stood in the kitchen on the other end. Kara cleared her throat and forced Donna to look back at her.

"So, I'm out of town, and already I miss the interesting stuff. Figures, doesn't it?"

"I'm not sure if you call what happened interesting," Barbara said. Donna and Kara both shot her looks. Barbara frowned, and shook her head. "Okay, interesting in the sense one of the most psychotic killers in the history of forever is back on the loose. I think we can both agree it's interesting."

"Yes, the Joker is back," Kara said. "Well, he's been back for a long time. Thought, he went down with Batman."

"Guess, we thought wrong there, didn't we?" Barbara said. "It goes without saying the Joker is a crafty motherfucker. He has to be."

"And he's responsible for what he did to you," Kara said. "I'm going to track him down and put a stop to him."

"The Joker's staying one step ahead of us," Barbara said. She slid her glasses off of her face to pinch the bridge of her nose. "I'm sure he might be out of Metropolis after giving his little speech. At least as we're talking."

"But, he might want us to think he's out of Metropolis, right?" Kara asked.

Barbara collected her thoughts before remembering what her mentor told her. Her father echoed similar words at one time.

"The only thing for sure about the Joker is nothing's for sure."

"Oh, we're going to take him down, aren't we?"

Ella slipped out of the kitchen. She hung her head down a little bit. Her expression looked a tad bit less animated. Dinah slipped out of her normal attire into a tight black tank top and a pair of skin tight blue jeans which fit snugly around her lower body.

Kara noticed straight away after some kind of conversation, or rather a confrontation, Ella looked far more subdued. The Mob Princess sat down on a chair far away. Dinah took a seat right next to Barbara and across from Kara and Donna.

"You know this is a set up for a really bad reality show?" Donna asked. "And when I say a really bad reality show, I mean a really bad reality show."

"How do you figure?" Kara asked.

Donna smiled and started to tick off with her fingers.

"Well, we've got two daughters of police officers, a mob princess, an Amazon Princess, and a Kryptonian who might as well be royalty herself underneath one roof."

"I'm not royalty," Kara said. "Well, not officially anyway."

"Well, it's still a set up to a really bad reality show," Donna said. "I wonder if we can get it on FOX in time for the fall season."

Barbara snickered at Donna's assessment of the situation. Believe her, after the drubbing she received and losing temporary use of her legs, she needed it.

Ella's eyes swept over the women.

"All of you trust me with this information? You must be insane."

"Not really," Kara said. "I know you're not going to the police."

Ella frowned and rose from her chair. She took a proper look into the eyes of the Girl of Steel.

"Really, and what makes you be so sure I won't go to the police and turn you in?"

"Because," Kara said. She leaned close to Ella. "Because, none of them would believe your story if you start rattling off to them. And we both know you don't trust the police anyway, so why would you turn us in?"

Ella's arms folded. She hated when people had good points, especially when those good points made her look like an idiot.

"The Joker's being quiet," Ella said. "I've lived in Gotham City long enough to know why him being quiet isn't a good thing."

"You don't say?" Dinah asked.

Barbara waved her hand. She noticed Dinah's agitation to the girl, and chapereoning a troublesome mob princess around all night could weigh on anyone.

"We're going to need all of the help we can get. If our mutual friend wasn't on her mission….important mission, we might be able to resolve this."

"Who could be more important than the Joker?" Ella asked.

"Trust me, there are things more important than the Joker out there," Kara said.

Her stern look met the mob princess who frowned in a very skeptical manner, but nodded.

* * *

Metropolis General Hospital released Maggie Sawyer and Dan Turpin. Turpin wore a sling on his arm and a few bandages.

"Going to take more than this to keep me down," Turpin said. He grumbled and instinctively stretched out his arm, which ended up not being a good idea. "But, the situation's really fucked up. The Joker setting up shop in Metropolis. I can't believe it."

"Well, it's hard to believe," Maggie said. "But, I saw him. I can't believe he didn't kill me."

"Are you complaining about him not killing you?" Turpin asked.

Maggie frowned and looked out into the city. She noticed the Anti-Supergirl task force on the move.

' _Talk about having your priorities straight when a serial killer is on the loose.'_

"Yeah, I know, I can't believe it," Turpin said. He clenched the fist with his one good arm. "Supergirl has one bad day, and suddenly, everyone jumps down her throat. I can get what the kid's going through. The number of times I've been up for review because I took things too far for some scumbag. But, seriously, anyone who does what half of these people do are dirtbags."

Maggie didn't fault her partner for taking it hard to some people. Sure there are lines which shouldn't be crossed when you're trying to enforce the law. But, it's not human to sit back and take a lot of ship and have to like it.

"Gotham City problems in Metropolis," Turpin said. The man whistled. "And not only a Gotham City problem, but the biggest one. One only some weirdo dressed like a Bat can solve."

"The Bat might have had some issues, but he did a lot of good for Gotham City," Maggie said.

"Yeah, maybe, I wouldn't invite the guy over for poker, but….suppose it's not important now. The guy's dead, isn't he? Pushing up daisies, he bought the farm."

"As far as the rumors go," Maggie said.

No one could verify Batman died one hundred percent. Both agreed someone likely knew the truth. The man underneath the cowl might be getting on in age. God only knows Turpin didn't want to do this forever. Someone like Batman working in Gotham City, reports went back to him being active around thirty years ago.

He's an urban legend which will live on for years to come, with the stories growing more insane.

"I tell you Maggie, things are about ready to get rough, and not in a good way either. You look at Gotham and you look at Metropolis. You can't really see two more different cities. One's night and one's day."

"I know," Maggie said.

The two of them made their way to a waiting car. Maggie looked over her shoulder. No goons around yet.

"I still don't know why the Joker didn't kill me," Maggie said.

"Really, you're still on about him not killing you?" Turpin asked. "The guy's a lunatic, he doesn't think like a normal person. And he's a bit vain if you ask me. Who announces himself to the entire city like he did?"

Turpin's question hung in the ether. It was a rhetorical question to be fair.

"I'll tell you who, someone with a bit of an ego. Someone who is pretty damn vain as well. The Joker's one vain guy, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is," Maggie said. "And his girlfriend….."

"Yeah, I've heard stories about her," Turpin said. "Girl lost her mind. I'm not sure who I feel sorrier for."

"I'd feel a bit sorrier for her," Maggie said. "She used to be a respected doctor before the Joker got her hooks into her."

"Got a point as usual, Maggie," Turpin said.

The Anti-Supergirl task force patrolling the city made it harder to get around Metropolis. They looked up in the sky, but did not see a bird, or a plane, or a Supergirl.

"This is going to get worse before it gets better, isn't it?" Turpin asked.

Maggie gave her a partner a serious and kind of grim look.

"We are in an election year."

She said the words which made anyone's skin crawl. The Mayor wanted to get another term in office. The fact a bug crawled up the Mayor's ass after Luthor died did not help things.

* * *

The Daily Planet buzzed with the news of the one and only Joker returning. Many people feared what might happen next. A couple speculated whether or not the man under the makeup was the real McCoy.

"No, it can't be him, I mean, he bought the farm along with the Bat. If you ask me, it's some kind of counterfeit Joker."

"How can it be a Counterfeit Joker?"

"Trust me, there's always more than one, playing a copycat to famous serial killers. Do you really think Jack the Ripper is really one guy? They say the Son of Sam was just one guy, but others say the killings were the work of a cult. This Joker mess, there's an army of them, rotating in."

"What if the Joker's immortal and was Jack the Ripper?"

"Now, you're talking bullshit. Don't talk bullshit!"

"Do you think he might have been the Zodiac Killer too?"

Kara swept into the office, only half paying attention to the banter. She arched her head, and nearly ran into Lois.

"Hey, Lois," Kara said.

Lois looked up. The woman's annoyance faded into a smile when she looked at Kara.

"Oh, Kara…..how are you doing?" Lois asked.

"About as well as you can be expected all things considered," Kara said. "How about you?"

"Well, I'm about as good as you can be," Lois said.

Lois and Kara went for a nice little walk around the Planet. Chloe popped in to join them.

"So, sounds like the two of you had a busy last couple of nights," Lois said. "Everyone's tripping over themselves talking about the Joker. And coming up with the most nutcase theories to explain why he returned."

"Yes, I know," Chloe said. "One of them said this Joker is the result of the former Joker and Batman merging together in some kind of explosion."

"And here I thought Joker is a weird entity from the fifth dimension," Lois said.

Kara shuddered at the fifth dimension being brought up in shape or form. Lois placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry about bringing up all of the bad memories."

"Well, the imp terrorized Claire more than me," Kara said. "Still, he's a petty little nuisance, we shall not speak of. The council finally told him to knock it off. You'd think a higher dimensional being would find better things to do with his time."

Lois sat down and swiped a pot of coffee. She dumped some of it in a large cup, nearly causing it to overflow. She left enough for Chloe and Kara, even though Kara passed on it.

"So, what's up with you?" Chloe asked. "Other than spending half of your nights worrying about Claire."

"I haven't been worrying about Claire," Lois said. Chloe raised her eyebrow. "Okay, maybe a little bit, but Helena's about tracked her down, hasn't she?"

"Yes, kind of, she's got a good lead," Kara said. The blonde smiled brightly. "You know how she is."

"Like her father?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, a little bit," Kara said. "But enough about like her mother she's….well she isn't entirely into the brooding and mysterious category. And I think we can thank Rao for everything there."

"I think we should thank all of the goddesses imaginable for her not being completely like her father," Chloe said.

Kara cracked a smile on her face. She met a few goddesses through Diana which she could thank. The Girl of Steel recalled a night with Aphrodite which would make some of the most dirty minded people blush.

"Oh, my, you're…you're Kara Kent!"

Kara almost sustained whiplash as she turned her head to look at a perky blonde. And by perky, Kara meant perkier than her.

' _I didn't think such a thing's possible. Shows how much I know.'_

"Hello, Cat," Lois said. "Kara, this is Cat Grant, she's….."

"You're Claire's cousin, I can't believe it, it's so amazing," Cat said. The woman's excitement started to bubble over as she bounced up and down. "You must have met Supergirl. What's she really like?"

"Well, she can be a bit stuck up," Kara said. "But, she does the job most of time."

Cat looked at Kara in awe.

"So, Perry hired you to replace my cousin," Kara said.

"Well, no one can replace someone like Claire Kent, but I'm doing the best I can. And Lois has been showing me the ropes."

' _Hopefully the rope she is showing you, isn't a noose,'_ Kara thought.

Judging by the look on Chloe's face, Kara reckoned Chloe thought along the same lines, more or less.

"So, Kara, I need to run something past you about the blog."

"Right, Cat's it's a pleasure to meet you," Kara said. She smiled at Cat, which caused the girl to back off. "Try not to let Lois give you a hard time."

Cat shrugged it off. Kara turned to Lois.

"Lois, try not to give Cat a hard time," Kara said.

"Why do you think I'm giving her a hard time?" Lois asked.

Kara turned around to hide the smug grin developing on her face. Chloe ducked into the side office to start laughing.

"Oh, no reason."

* * *

Artemis and Thea returned the Queen Penthouse. The two girls cooled off after a long workout with each other.

"I'll be back out there in no time," Artemis said.

Thea raised her eyebrow. She leaned to her girlfriend.

"Are you sure it's wise?"

"Why wouldn't it be wise?"

Thea sensed an argument about to happen. She knew how stubborn Artemis could be to be honest. The two of them stared each other.

"The attitude towards vigilantes is at an all-time low. The Mayor's on a war path."

"Anti-Vigilante Task force, you're worrying about them, aren't you?"

Thea rose to her full height. Artemis still towered a full head over her, but Thea thought the impact showed well enough.

"I'm just worried you're going to do something reckless."

"Well, are you going to do something reckless out there along with me?"

The two archers looked at each other. One might not decide whether the two would fight here and make out.

No one found out the answer to this important question. A knock on the door brought Artemis's attention to it. She wondered who could be calling at this time of the night.

The door swung open, and she smiled when Dinah stood on the other end of the door. A sixteen year old girl folded her arms and looked up around the Penthouse.

"Again, you have friends with better taste than you do," the girl said.

"Hi, Dinah," Artemis said. "I thought you'd be around by now."

"Well, you know, I've been keeping an eye on Gotham City when our friend is out of town looking for another friend," Dinah said. She smiled and swept Artemis in a hug. "I hope you've been staying out of trouble."

"Do I look like the type of person who gets in trouble?" Artemis asked.

"You might not look it, but you are," Thea said. Artemis's attention turned to her. "And it's good to see you Dinah, who's your friend?"

"Helena Bertinelli, this is Artemis Crock and Thea Queen, and….I wanted to ask you two girls a huge favor," Dinah said.

"Crock?" Ella asked. "As if Lawrence Crock, the Sportsmaster."

"Yes, him," Artemis said. "I'm his daughter."

"Oh, sucks to be you, your father is kind of lame," Ella said. "He must have stayed up all night to think of the name Sportsmaster!"

Artemis thought the girl had a point, even though she did not like her tone.

"Let me guess, you want us to babysit the mob princess," Artemis said.

"Well, you're not cleared for combat," Dinah said.

"Who told you I wasn't cleared for combat?" Artemis asked.

Thea slumped into the shadows and tried to disappear. Artemis looked at her.

"Oooh, someone's in trouble!"

Dinah directed one older sister look at Ella. Not as effective as the Bat stare of doom, but it caused Ella to behave for a moment.

"I'll be in town for the next couple of days," Dinah said. "Then I'll need to go back to Gotham City. Kara asked me to brush up on your training, and we can start training Ella."

Ella's hands flew to her hips and protest flew out of her lips.

"I thought I handled myself pretty well out there," Ella said.

"Define pretty well," Dinah said.

"Pretty well, I didn't make a complete idiot out of myself," Ella said. The teenager threw her hands to her hips. "I saved your ass from falling out of a hotel."

"Thank you," Dinah said. "But you have good raw skills, they could be better, more refined. Against a better enemy, you would have gotten your ass kicked."

Artemis and Ella both looked a bit put off for more training. Thea cleared her throat.

"We've been slacking a little bit," Thea said. "Putting arrows in a person is one thing, but your hand to hand has regressed."

* * *

Dinah slipped into Helena's Metropolis Penthouse the moment she helped Ella settle in with Artemis and Thea.

She walked over to check on Barbara. Barbara slept peacefully in her bed.

' _Really Babs, you still drool in your sleep after all of these years?'_

Dinah made her way to the main lab. She walked down a set of stairs. Kara hunched over a table hard at work. She worked on a very familiar looking device.

"The Canary Cry device?" Dinah asked.

"Yes, I'm pretty to amplify the charge, and make people sick their stomachs as well as being dizzy," Kara said.

"She would be proud of the improvements you made on her work."

"I know," Kara said. She closed her eyes, before bringing herself back out of her thoughts.

"It's been three years today."

Kara smiled and looked at Dinah. The two of them stared each other.

"I hold the door open. She came back before, why couldn't she come back this time? I mean, how many of us have had near death experiences?"

Kara's smile crossed over her face. She leaned in to Dinah and brushed her locks of hair away from her face.

"More than I care to remember, I think," Kara said. "But, you know just as well, don't you? Some of us never come back."

Dinah's hope lingered on they never found Sara's body. The siren stared Kara in the eyes.

"I'm sure you have more to worry about," Dinah said.

"If anyone knows where your mind is today, it's me. I'm worried about Claire, and worried about what might happen to her. I try not to, but I do."

Dinah smiled and spun Kara around. The stunning heroine placed her hand on Kara's hand and squeezed it.

"Helena will be back soon to Gotham City, and let's hope she brings Claire in tow. She should have never left."

Kara's guilt racked her.

"It's the damn Black Kryptonite, it forced her to run."

Dinah squeezed Kara's hand hard to force the Girl of Steel to look at her. The two girls lingered with a gaze directed into the other's eyes.

"It only kicked the snowball down the hill. Claire's bound to head off sooner than later. I think we both knew it."

"Maybe," Kara said.

"You should get some sleep."

Dinah and Kara left the lab. They made her way past Barbara's room, to Kara's. The two of them made their way to a lush bed.

Kara looked at Dinah. Dinah slipped off her jacket, and her gloves next. She dressed in a tight white top where her nipples poked from underneath the top.

"Are you using your X-Ray vision on me?"

"You're not wearing a bra," Kara said.

"Well, I came here for a reason, and I'm sure you can help me deal with some of the tension I've had lately and I can help you."

Kara grabbed Dinah's golden blonde hair and pulled her into a kiss. The two of them exchanged spit with each other. Their tongues struggled to exert domination. Kara's powers overwhelmed Dinah for a few seconds.

Dinah's moan indicated pleasure when Kara reached behind her, and squeezed her ass.

"Always loved for ass, Dinah."

"Maybe, I'll let you fuck it," Dinah said.

She grinded her hips up against Kara's heated core. Kara wrapped her strong legs around Dinah's waist, and kissed her one more time.

"What do you mean let?"

Kara released Dinah from her grip and Dinah got onto the bed. The leather skirt she changed into caused her ass to be displayed for Kara's full view. Not to mention those fishnets.

Dinah crawled to allow Kara to look at her ass. Kara smacked her on the ass. Dinah smiled and rolled over. Her hair draped over her face.

The most inviting look possible caused Kara to pounce Dinah and rip her shirt off. The two women exchanged an intense kiss with each other.

* * *

Barbara watched the scene wrap up through the door. She pulled herself out of bed to go to the bathroom, but she might end up needing a fresh set of panties.

Actually scratch maybe, she would need a fresh set of panties.

At least, she verified the feeling returned to her lower body completely after Lara worked her magic.

 **To Be Continued on October 6** **th** **, 2015.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Three's a Crowd Part One.**

* * *

Lois Lane arrived to cover a grand opening at the Metropolis Metro Museum. Someone's a fan of alliteration, but way beside the point, at least at this point. The dark haired reporter stood up tall and firm, craning her neck over to one side. She saw an overexcited woman move into the side.

Not only did Lois have to cover the story, but Perry saddled her with babysitting duty. The newbie, Cat Grant, followed her. The younger reporter tagged at her heels like an overexcited puppy dog.

"I swear, Cat, if you say this is exciting, you're going to have to find your own ride home," Lois said.

"Well, how often does something like this happen?" Cat asked.

Lois shifted her eyebrow for a moment, touching her hand onto her hip.

"You mean some rich douchebag brings his collection to Metropolis to make a spectacle out of himself. Happens more often than you think. It's a status symbol. And, I think it's stupid, especially given the current environment."

Cat touched her hand underneath her chin, conceding Lois had a point.

"Yeah, every criminal in Metropolis will be after his priceless jewels, if they're even priceless at all."

Lois raised an eyebrow. A little more went on in Cat's head then Lois thought at first. She wouldn't invite the girl over to the bar after hours, because Lois saw more of the new reporter in the office. Plus, the fact she replaced Claire rubbed Lois the wrong way. But still, Lois had to give her some credit. There was more going on upstairs than she thought from the bubbly blonde at first.

The hardened reporter returned her thoughts back to reality. If she spent half of her life hung up on what Claire Kent did, she'd get nothing done. Or rather less than nothing done. Regardless, Lois stood up firm.

"Do you think you can operate a camera?" Lois asked.

"I came to Metropolis to write, not operate a camera," Cat said.

"Hey, if you want the story, you want a piece of advice kid? Coming from Lois Lane, you know, someone who you think is a Living Legend."

Cat turned to Lois. Despite being verbally smacked down, at least six times a day, the young woman experienced awe because of Lois. The living legend leaned to Cat's face, and stared her in the eye.

"Find the story, because it won't be handed to you."

"Well, didn't you practically fall out a window, and Superwoman found you."

"It's a bit more complication than….and here comes the rich Douchebag."

The rich douchebag, the aptly named, Rich Hanson, stepped into the scene. His snooty look rubbed Lois the wrong way just merely by turning up. The reporter folded her arms.

' _Good, I hope it freezes on his foul face.'_

Hanson walked up to the podium.

"I've decided to gift Metropolis the honor of gazing upon the famous Hanson family jewels. My grandfather, Richard Hanson the Third, used his fortune to craft these fine jewels. And now, I allow you to gaze upon their splendor. For the next few days, they will be on display at the Metropolis museum. It's an exhibit worth your attention, and adds interest to this museum."

A buzzing sound silenced the man's bragging. The man looked up, incensed for the briefest of moments. Several figures swooped down from behind, and landed on the stage right next to Hanson.

Lois viewed the scene before her. Three gentlemen attired in high tech military gear dressed in masks appeared. One of them wore a Fox mask, the other a Shark, and the other a Vulture.

"The best collection in the world?" The Fox asked. The criminal scoffed when he looked. "I would say, the collection is better off in our possession, wouldn't you, old bean?"

Lois recognized his voice as a British accent, or at least someone trying to pass off a British accent. Come to think of it, his British accent sounded like some rich guy failing to imitate a British accent in a desperate attempt to sound posh and important.

"I think we should go after it, Fox," Vulture said. "What's some peon like this going to do to stop us?"

"Now, see here, I'm supposed to be….."

Shark grabbed Hanson around the neck and hoisted him up. Fox smiled, and spoke for his large friend.

"You're supposed to do what? What are you supposed to do, you….."

The Shark hurled the man down onto the stage and he landed with a thud. The Fox and the Vulture pulled out some high tech looking toys.

"Bought this from some fellow named Ace, thought we could use it," Fox said. He sent a blast of energy, utterly destroying a parked van in his wake. "I daresay, we've got more than our monies worth."

Hanson rose from the stage, looking a bit shell-shocked.

"Please, don't take my family jewels. I'm rich, I can write you a check."

"Money, isn't the most important thing in the world, chap," Fox said. He stood on the man's chest. "It's a thrill of the hunt, and the prize."

"But, everyone has a price!"

"Not the rich and famous, my dear boy. I wipe my ass with a hundred dollar bills, so, I don't think….."

A blur shot out from the sky, and ripped the Fox off of the ground. He spiraled out of control like a cork in mid-air.

Vulture's eyes peered. He retracted wings from his suit and began to take flight to engage the Girl of Steel.

"So, Supergirl, let's see if you can deal with someone who can really fly."

He launched a rocket from his suit. Supergirl returned fire by shooting fire from her eyes and destroying the rocket.

"I'll let you know when I find someone!" Supergirl said.

The Girl of Steel punctuated her statement by punching Vulture in the face. She brought him back down to Earth.

Shark reached the first person to take as a hostage, which happened to be Cat Grant. She struggled against the beefy grip of the large man.

' _Okay, Cat, impressive, only three weeks on the job, and you're already a hostage,'_ Lois said. _'It took me about three months….'_

Kara grounded the Vulture. She saw the new reporter being grabbed from behind by Shark.

Shark shoved Cat down onto the ground. He grabbed onto a large pillar and yanked it. Several pipes almost fell down on Cat's body to crush her.

Supergirl pulled her out of the way, at the last second. Cat wrapped her arms around the neck of her savor, looking on at her with awe.

Fox wrapped up the heist, stealing the jewels, including a weird looking amulet.

' _Must be valuable if it's in with the rest of the exhibit.'_

The Terrible Trio left, using their jet packs to take the sky, going up, up, and away from Metropolis.

"Look, look, look at you! I'm ruined! And it's all her fault!"

The rich asshole pointed to Kara. Security moved in, and walked to face off against her. The weapons aimed at Kara, amusing the heroine more than anything.

' _Seriously, they couldn't stop the Terrible Trio? What makes them think they're going to stop me?'_

Kara decided to ignore their feeble attempts to arrest her. She flew off out of the way. The Anti-Vigilante Task Force came close to arriving, and she needed to find the Terrible Trio, to figure out what they stole.

Lois turned to Cat, a smile crossing her face.

"Congratulations, you made the big time, being saved from certain death by a Kryptonian."

Despite nearly dying, Cat couldn't help but smile a little bit.

* * *

Later, Kara arrived at the scene of the crime, not as Supergirl, but as Kara Kent. She tried to keep against the shadows, discreetly. Stealth proved to be the name of her game.

Seconds later, Kara stopped short at someone trying to get some answers. Her face contorted into a smile.

"Whatever happened here today, it's news!"

"Mr. Hanson is very distressed."

"Yeah, right, he started pointing fingers. He lost a few jewels, I'm sure he could make the money back."

Lois folded her arms in an attempt to get in to take a closer look. Two beefy security guards stood on either side of her. The guards resembled bouncers, and looked as if they would bounce Lois.

Kara noticed someone else in the shadows. A very familiar face leaned against the wall. Her midnight black chair blew because of the gentle wind kicking up in Metropolis. She dressed in a black tank top, a jean jacket, and a pair of blue jeans. The jeans wrapped around her skin like a second skin.

Despite not wearing her standard costume, or indeed, her trademark fishnets, Kara recognized the woman already.

"Zee!"

Kara smiled and walked over to the girl. The woman smiled, and wrapped Kara up in a hug.

"It's good to see you again, Kara. It's been a long time."

"Too long," Kara said.

Zatanna Zatara smiled and stepped back from Kara.

"I've come to talk to talk to Doctor Hanson."

"Wait, he's a doctor?" Kara asked.

The thought of it sounded so absurd, Kara almost really had to laugh. It took every degree of self-control not to break out into even more laughter.

"Well, he acquired a doctorate," Zatanna said. The magical based heroine smiled, shaking her head. "Not sure if he put in any of the work himself to get one, but he has a doctorate. He does have enough money to buy one."

Kara scoffed. Hanson looked to be the type of person who would get a doctorate, so he could be called Doctor Hanson.

"He doesn't have what I thought he had," Zatanna said.

"You think he had a piece of your father's old collection?" Kara asked.

Zatanna looked over her shoulder. Too many people lingered around to get a closer look, for her liking.

"Do you think I can crash at your apartment for a couple of days?"

"Sure, but we moved out of an apartment, and into a Penthouse," Kara said. Zatanna frowned when she looked back at Kara. "Helena's doing, she has a Penthouse in Metropolis which is collecting dust."

"Belonged to her father, I think, he has a few bases around the nation where he used as hideouts when he left Gotham City," Zatanna said. "Which wasn't often outside of the League days, but still."

"Yes," Kara said. "But, you can tell me everything, won't you?"

"Yes, I owe you an explanation."

* * *

Barbara relaxed after her ordeal, and Donna relaxed her trip to the island, the latest one.

"Diana's been really busy lately, hasn't she?" Barbara asked.

Donna chuckled at Barbara's words. She really did put everything in an interesting perspective sometimes.

"Well, given the….problems the Amazons have been having," Donna said. "She's had her hands full. But, we've got to worry about everything happening in Metropolis."

"Yeah, the Joker's been quiet ever since his grand proclamation," Barbara said. She tucked her hand underneath her chin and frowned. "Do you think a quiet Joker is far worse than an active Joker, or is it just me?"

"It's not just you," Donna said.

The doors opened. Donna and Barbara turned their attention away from the conversation. The woman coming through the door caused both of them to brim with excitement.

"Zee!"

Barbara's excited statement broke through. She rose to her feet, walking with a bit of a limp. Unless she stretched every morning, she felt consequences of her accident.

"Hey, Babs," Zatanna said. She wrapped her arms around the younger girl with a tight hug. "I heard about your accident, are you doing okay?"

"I didn't lose the use of my legs, thanks to Kara's intervention," Barbara said. "But, I'm not going to be out in the field for a while."

"Sorry, I know how much being Batgirl means to you," Zatanna said.

Barbara waved her hands, and shook her head. Granted, she missed it, but she came to terms with what happened. And one day, maybe not soon, she geared up to return as Batgirl.

"It's not too big of a deal. I can do other things to help out. But, right now, I'm benched for a good six to eight months before I start even thinking about going back on the field."

"Harsh, but I know you're going to bounce back," Zatanna said.

"So what brings you to Metropolis?" Barbara asked.

Zatanna drew in a deep breath and sighed.

"As you know, some of my father's old things disappeared after he died. More likely, someone ransacked his house after his death, and started to sell them on the black market, not worthy of their true value, or true danger."

The Super Best Friends Forever exchanged dark looks. They ran into Zatara's artifacts in the past before.

"What this time?" Kara asked.

"It's a mystical totem. It looks like a weird amulet."

Kara racked her brain, but shook her head.

"I'll keep an eye out for it."

"Would you?" Zatanna asked.

"Of course we would," Barbara said. "You don't even have to tell us what happens when it falls into the wrong hands."

Zatanna shuddered at the thought of one of her father's artifacts falling into the wrong hands. Mostly because of the fact her father's belongings fell into the wrong hands many times over in the past.

The incident with the enchanted comic book forever caused Zatanna a headache.

The sorceress sighed, she would have to take everything one step at a time, do what she needed to do to win the day.

"So, how's Claire?"

Kara looked up.

"Do you know she skipped town?" Kara asked.

"Well, I know she lost her powers because of the Gold Kryptonite," Zatanna said. "I've been searching high and low for a solution for her power problem, but….you know how well magic and Kryptonians mix."

"There have been plenty of magical Kryptonians," Kara said. "My mother trained in her gifts. I never really noticed if I had the abilities to learn."

"Maybe you can still find out, one day," Zatanna said.

"If I had those abilities, I'm sure my dark side would have channeled them," Kara said. Everyone nodded, and thanked any god they believed in for small favors. "You did hear about the incident with the Black Kryptonite?"

"Well, I know there's a pretty good reason why there seems to be anti-Supergirl task force," Zatanna said.

"It's really for vigilantes of all flavors," Donna said.

Kara's gaze met the gaze of the youngest Amazon Princess. Her arms folded underneath her chest.

"Yes, maybe, but you know who the Mayor is conducting most of his venom to. It's me, your friendly neighborhood Supergirl."

"Don't let it get you down, Kara," Zatanna said. "My father's dealt with his fair share of hatred, the entire JSA did, and the League as well….before they disbanded."

Kara recalled all of the bad luck the League went through in order to go their separate ways. Claire losing her powers showed to be the final thread which snapped the League. They had been all, but finished before then.

Without Superwoman, the League lost their heart and soul. Kara shook her head.

"I haven't heard from Helena in over a month, I'm starting to get worried about her."

Zatanna smiled, and leaned in to place a hand on Kara's shoulder.

"I wouldn't worry about Helena, or anyone else with the last name Wayne. They worry about you, and often know everything you're doing, before you even do it."

Barbara shivered. Talk about a true point.

' _They know when you've been sleeping, and they know when you've been awake.'_

* * *

"We only got half of the heist, half!" Vulture yelled.

The member of the Terrible Trio slammed his hand down onto the table, causing the few jewels they managed to acquire to fly up into the air and land onto the desk.

"We should have cleaned out the museum. I mean, who was going to stop us? Our benefactor, Ace, he sold us weapons who should have made us the kings of this city."

Fox studied one of the jewels received from the Hanson heist. The Terrible Trio leader frowned as deep as possible.

"Another zero."

Vulture's anger rose at Fox's apathy.

"Fox, do you hear me?" Vulture asked. "If you would have had a better plan, Supergirl wouldn't have gotten involved!"

"Yes, because I have to do all of your thinking for you," Fox said. "Why don't I put on your bloody knickers in the morning while I'm at it?"

"Okay, you can drop the accent, we're in the room alone. Damn it, Warren…."

"I'm Fox," the criminal said. He reached in and grabbed Vulture around the shoulder. "And you should remember who brought you to the dance."

Shark grunted, and the largest member of the Terrible Trio waved his hands.

"Yes, I couldn't agree more, Shark," Vulture said.

"Oh, you think he has a point, over me?" Fox asked. "This entire bloody heist is a bust, all of these jewels are faker than a street walker's tits."

Fox lifted up one final piece of jewelry, a strange looking amulet which dangled in his hand. It glinted in the light. The quality of the jewelry began to piss him off.

"And this piece of jewelry….it's junk, it won't even pass muster with the densest black market dealer."

"We have the worst possible timing," Vulture said. "The moment we step in Metropolis, the clown's decided to set up shop, we have….."

Vulture stopped. His words stopped, and his tongue became tied. The amulet hanging from Fox's hand started to hum.

"I guess there's more to this necklace than meets the eye," Fox said. "Much more…."

The necklace exploded into a blast of light and engulfed the Terrible Trio. All of them howled in pain as their bones shattered, and bodies reshaped themselves.

* * *

Supergirl kept out of sight, and out of mind. The Anti-Vigilante Task Force proved to be a lovely waste of taxpayer dollars at least on sheer principle. They never really caught a single vigilante, at least one worth their salt.

Caused a lot of property damage, even more than some of the more memorable super hero against super villain fights.

"Just to let you know, the Terrible Trio haven't left town just yet," Chloe said.

"Seriously?" Kara asked. "Do, I really have time for them?"

"Well, it's up to you, but they've caused a hostage crisis at the Metro Station, downtown," Chloe said. "And no one can get in through the usual entrances without causing problems."

"And, I think I know of a way in," Kara said. "I can handle these clowns, no problem. They got lucky last time."

"Are you sure you don't want any help?" Donna asked.

"Donna, I'll wrap this up before you even get out here," Kara said. "Trounce the bad guys, rescue the hostages, it's all going to be good."

Kara intended to wrap this up as soon as possible. The mystical artifact belonging to Zatanna's father was somewhere in Metropolis.

' _Kara, can you hear me?'_ Zatanna asked.

' _Yes, loud and clear,'_ Kara thought. _'Did you find it?'_

' _I've got a general area, but there's a mystical spike rather close by where you are,'_ Zatanna said. _'So, I'd keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual.'_

' _Thanks for the heads up, Zee,'_ Kara said. _'I'll keep an eye out for it, right after I trounce the Terrible Trio.'_

' _Oh, the goons you encountered at the museum?'_ Zatanna asked.

' _Yes, pretty much,'_ Kara said. _'Your standard rich punks with way too much time on their hands. They got some low-level Intergang weapons, and they think they're hot shit because of it.'_

Kara entered the tunnel. The screams of the people down the tunnel made her go closer. The Girl of Steel stopped and looked around.

Several hostages huddled in fear. Kara looked around the general area. No sign of the Terrible Trio around the area. The Girl of Steel crossed the barrier, and scooped up the hostages in her arms, before getting them the hell out of the station.

Kara returned to the station. A loud growl caught her attention.

"Yes, you've stumbled into our trap, Supergirl. You shouldn't have intervened in our plans, now, we're going to have to make you pay."

Fox stepped out of the shadows. Kara hovered a few inches back, shocked at what greeted her. Fox's face contorted in a scowl.

"You know, you've taken the Furry thing at least a step too far," Kara said. She rushed Fox, but Fox dodged out of the way.

Fox grabbed Kara by the cape, and hurled her across the subway station with surprising strength.

The Girl of Steel skidded to the stop, taking out some concrete. She rolled out of the way, to dodge a cloud of acid.

Vulture spat his acid at her again. The mutated creature moved towards her for a second.

Fox sliced the valves in the tunnel with his claws. Water flooded the tunnel. Fox and Vulture climbed to higher ground, as the water rose up on the ground.

"Really, you think water is going to stop me?" Kara asked.

"Just trying to level the playing field, love."

Shark poked his head out from underneath the water, and grabbed Supergirl by the leg. The Girl of Steel slammed hard against the wall.

The large monster jumped from the water, mouth wide open. Supergirl dodged the attack, and avoided another acid spit from Vulture. The acid burned a hole through ceiling above her.

"Shark, crush her!"

Shark grabbed her, and slammed her onto the ground. He opened his jaw wide, but Kara blocked it with her hands.

Had she not been super powered, his teeth would have ripped her apart. Kara forced him back with a huge push. His head snapped back.

Supergirl avoided another Vulture attack. His razor sharp feathers ripped her cape and her costume. The poison tips caused mild burns on her skin, and caused Kara to grow a bit delirious.

She moved closer to the healing embrace of the yellow sun. The rays shined over her.

In time for the Shark to try and take another bite out of her.

"Yes, and here I thought the amulet would be a waste!"

Supergirl's eyes flashed to the amulet dangling from the Fox's neck. The energy waves flowed over, locking onto both Shark and vulture as well.

' _Hey, Zee, I found your necklace…..and….are they getting bigger?'_

The Terrible Trio expanded in size, becoming even more beast and grotesque. Their laughter turned even more insidious and smile tingling.

"So, are we chumps now, Supergirl?"

* * *

 **To Be Continued on October 9** **th** **, 2015.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Three's a Crowd Part Two.**

* * *

Fox swelled with pride. He watched as Vulture took another shot at Supergirl. The Girl of Steel slipped out of his grasp and caused the Vulture to dive bomb into Shark. The rising waters in the subway station only gave Shark the advantage.

Supergirl realized the fact, and decided to use it to her advantage. Granted, it would leave her battling the biggest, and the meanest of them all, but it's worth a shot. Her eyes glowed with the personification of power. A red beam shot out of her eyes, connecting with the concrete section where Fox stood on.

Fox screamed at the top of his lungs as the water rose. He jumped to avoid the rushing wave of water. The criminal tried to get a higher ground.

From the other end, Wondergirl came up, and lassoed Fox. She yanked him down to the ground and brutalized him with a rapid fire series of kidney punches. Each punch sounded like a truck smacking into concrete.

Fox twisted his head and grinned.

"Could you hit a bit harder, love? I don't think I felt it."

Fox wiggled his way from the grip of the lasso. He grabbed the Amazon Princess and hoisted her above his head. Donna elbowed his way out, as Fox threw her onto the ground. The magic amplified his strength.

Supergirl brought the boom down on the back of Fox's head. Fox staggered back for a moment.

"You better key your eye on the ball, Supergirl."

Shark rose from the water, and grabbed both heroines. Their combined efforts broke the monster's grip but left him breathless.

Supergirl and Wondergirl staggered a couple of steps back. The force of their attacks took both heroines aback.

"They shouldn't be this strong!" Wondergirl yelled.

The Vulture aimed several razor sharp feathers at them. The two heroines dodged the feathers which plowed into the ground. They implanted onto concrete beneath them.

"They shouldn't, but they are," Supergirl said.

She slipped through the exit, and made her way down in another section of the tunnel. Wondergirl followed her.

"Running away during a fight?" Fox asked. The criminal laughed, resembling a hyena more than a fox. "You're pathetic, you've met your match in the Terrible Trio."

"It's called strategy," Supergirl said. The Girl of Steel punctuated the statement by rolling her eyes.

The doors burst open and Vulture entered the room first. Vulture's eyes illuminated with the personification of pure power. He aimed his razor sharp feathers and fired them at Supergirl.

Supergirl twisted out of the way, and the feathers stuck in the wall. The Girl of Steel flew, with a fist extended and ready to attack.

"I'm going to ground you for good," Vulture said.

Magical wires fired out of the air and wrapped around the Vulture's wings. The Vulture lost control of his flight pattern. His next movement put him against the wall with a sickening crack.

Zatanna stood at the edge of the tunnel dressed in all of her glory, fishnets and all. Her hand waved. Kara and Donna looked up at the older woman in awe as she stepped into the picture.

"You got a lucky shot," Vulture said.

Vulture flew at Zatanna one more time. She lifted up her hand. A magical box worked around Vulture, trapping him. He tried to break his way through.

"FOX, I NEED HELP!"

Fox entered the tunnel and growled. Always up to him to bail out his friends. He grew a bit sick of it to be honest. His fist curled up, drawing more power from the amulet.

Despite looking like the most useless object in the world, it really paid off. He channeled the power, locking onto the Vulture.

The magical backlash caused Zatanna to fly back. Supergirl caught the sorceress before she landed on her ass.

Vulture broke out of the cage.

"Give me all the power!" Vulture yelled.

He attacked Fox for a brief second, trying to rip the amulet off of him.

"Hey, get your hands off of….."

Supergirl bolted at the two criminals when they entered a tussle with each other. The Girl of Steel plowed into both of them at the speed of light with a loud crack echoing.

Fox and Vulture landed on the ground. The three heroines swarmed on them, and with Shark nowhere to be found, the odds looked to be skewed.

"Get us out of here," Fox said.

Zatanna's eyes widened as she noticed the magical totem in the possession of these three goons. The totem transported its master and his friends out of the subway before she could take any decisive action with it. The woman's shoulders slumped.

"So, I'm guessing we found your father's missing magical artifact."

The tunnel they were in looked to be about ready to flood. Zatanna opened a portal.

"You know we could fly out of here just as fast."

With the token protest out of the way, Kara and Donna followed Zatanna out, right before the tunnel flooded.

* * *

"Okay, we're keeping an eye out," Chloe said. The woman put her fingernail in her mouth and chewed on it. She retracted it after doing so, really nasty habit to get involved in to be honest. "The Terrible Trio weren't exactly masters of stealth before the amulet mutated them."

"Yeah, a group of animals, it shouldn't be too hard to find, shouldn't it?" Barbara asked. "With their powers, I don't think laying low would be high on their list of priorities."

"Three vein rich boys with an overinflated ego, hardly?" Chloe asked. "So, can we verify the mutation upped their intelligence any, or are they still as dumb as ever?"

"I don't know," Kara said.

Zatanna crouched down. The woman plunged deep into thought. The trail of magic she followed went dead.

Every single bit of destruction caused by her father's artifacts reflected on her. Some of them lingered out there, waiting to be picked up, waiting to be touched. Waiting to be used for any number of criminal purposes.

' _Magic, can be used for greater good, or supreme evil.'_

Zatara's words rang out in Zatanna's mind. She threw her head back and sighed.

"Any luck in tracking it?" Kara asked.

"I had it one before, and they slipped away," Zatanna said. "I didn't think the amulet could teleport them away. Fox must have gained a closer connection to the amulet then I thought. Which isn't….which isn't comforting information, I know."

"I know," Kara said. "But, we've got to find them…and this time, we're going to put a stop to them."

Zatanna noticed a problem they had to discuss straight away.

"The more they use the totem, the more powerful and dangerous they get," Zatanna said. "And the more destructive….they're animals now, survival of the fittest is first and foremost on their minds."

"Oh, of course," Kara said. "And they're going to attack, attack, and attack. And they've got a hair up their ass because of me….for lack of a better term, I guess."

Zatanna's lips curled into a smile.

"Yes, I guess they do," Zatanna said. "But, things are getting really dangerous out there, you know."

"Metropolis post-Superwoman is not what it used to be," Kara said. "Intergang's getting bolder, but they're far from the only problem."

"Yes, I heard about the Joker," Zatanna said. The woman sighed, the Joker never could be an afterthought. "As much as we should worry about him, we should also focus on what we're doing right now."

"Right," Kara said.

"So far, no sign of them, if you're wondering," Chloe said. "I hate to say it, but maybe they have their IQs upped enough where they know it's a good idea to lie low."

"Given the Terrible Trio's past, it isn't much of a stretch," Barbara said. "I mean, they can't get any dumber, can they?"

"Bad thing to assume," Kara said.

Kara walked over from her point and looked out in Metropolis. She recalled the battle. The longer she fought them, the stronger they got. Shark only was useful in the water.

Suddenly, a bolt of inspiration struck her the moment she thought of Shark's powers.

"Barbara, I think we're looking at this for all of the wrong angles," Kara said. "What would be the best location someone would want to go if they wanted to flood the city?"

"Just a second, I'll check," Barbara said.

Zatanna's body shook for a moment. She staggered back into Kara's grip. Kara just caught her, barely.

"What's wrong?" Kara asked.

"I felt it, I felt the totem calling out," Zatanna said. "I'm not certain, but I think the totem is going through the final stage of the transformation."

Donna and Kara stood up straight and took notice at these words. They both had a bad feeling about this.

"And what is the final stage of the transformation?" Donna asked.

"I'm…the amulet has never been used to the extent where it's triggered the final stage," Zatanna said. The sorceress's tone grew extremely grim. "But I'm almost certain…actually I believe it involves a sacrifice. All of Metropolis could be going down."

"You know, they couldn't be this transparent, could they?" Chloe asked.

"What?" Kara asked.

"They've went back to the scene of the first crime," Chloe said.

Kara could have hit herself hard and fast. Of course, they went back to the scene of the first crime. The rest of the collection they failed to steal had been stored at the first location.

"I guess we should have thought about it," Barbara said. "You better be careful, if they're undergoing the final stage of the transformation."

"If we can get the totem away, I can reverse it," Zatanna said.

"You can?" Kara asked.

"Yes, I can," Zatanna said. As always with situations like this, there was a catch. "But it's a matter of getting the totem away."

The three heroines made plans onto how to best tackle their enemies. Time grew short and failed to be on their side.

* * *

Fox crouched down in the shadows. Vulture followed him inside the museum, a question burning his tongue.

"After all we can do with these powers, you choose to come back here?" Vulture asked.

"It's a matter of respect, something you could learn a bit more about," Fox said. "This gentlemen thinks he's the elite of society, well we're going to show him what the Terrible Trio can do."

Two guards patrolled the museum. Fox grinned and he made a movement.

Like a beast, he crushed from the shadows and pounced. The guard slammed down onto the floor with a sickening hard impact. Every single bone in his body cracked from Fox diving on top of him.

Fox rolled over the guard and struck a pose. The second guard rushed him, baton extended. Fox caught the baton in his jaw.

Vulture vomited on the guard. The guard screamed when the acid burned the flesh from his body. The burning flesh continued, until the guard blacked out from the pain. His heart sped up from the increased pain before crawling to a stop.

"Mmm, he looks good enough to eat," Vulture said.

"He did, until you vomited onto him," Fox said. "Nasty habit, mate, you should have not done it."

"Yeah, get your jewels, and we can get out of here," Vulture said. "We had to leave Shark behind….."

"Well, he's the muscle, and I'm the brains," Fox said.

"Guess it makes me the odd man out," Vulture said.

"Someone has to stand there and look pretty," Fox said.

"You think I look pretty?" Vulture asked.

Fox looked over the grotesque abomination standing before him. He shuddered for a moment before he responded in as dead pan of a voice as possible.

"Yes, stunning."

Vulture's mouth curled into a devious grin for a moment. The two of them continued to do their shopping.

"You know, we really should stop meeting like this."

Fox looked skyward. Supergirl descended down from the ceiling. The Girl of Steel glared at two thirds of the Terrible Trio.

"You think you're very clever, don't you, Supergirl?" Fox asked. "Do you not know who the true masters in this city are?"

"Yes, I know you're going to rip yourselves apart over power," Kara said. "Well you peal back the layers of power, you're nothing, but a trio of rich punks who lucked into a shiny trinket. I bet you can't defeat me without the trinket."

"Oh, you see, you're wrong," Fox said.

"Oh, if I'm wrong, then throw away the totem!"

Fox chuckled and stared down his adversary.

"You might have pulled a nice and cheeky little trick on a lesser criminal, but it won't work. You think your plan is going to stop the Terrible Trio?"

"Well, you can't fault me for trying," Kara said. "And your Terrible Trio is short one person."

Fox's lips curled into a malicious grin. Kara didn't like the grin. In fact, she would have go as far to say Fox's grin caused shudders to go down her spine.

"So, you can do math, very good, very good."

The ground underneath them started to rumble underneath them. A fist burst from the ground.

Donna joined to help even the odds. She jumped halfway up off of the ground as she realized the ground became a little less solid.

"You know, when you learn about your totem, you can see what it does for you," Fox said.

The ground beneath them turned into water. Donna and Kara both looked at each other, and one thought echoed through both of their minds.

' _Get the amulet, nothing else matters.'_

Donna rushed towards an exhibit and pulled a spear off of the wall. She aimed the spear at Fox, who dodged the attacks.

"Ha, you missed!" Fox yelled.

"No, I didn't."

The spear struck a fire extinguisher, which caused Fox to stagger around in the dark. His line of sight had been compromised and the criminal thrashed about.

Shark jumped out of the water. He made a movement to Supergirl and Wondergirl, but they ducked.

Kara darted in and grabbed the bag containing the jewels. Fox's eyes widened as Supergirl flew the jewels out of his grip.

"Here, catch!"

Fox growled in anger as the bag of jewels flew into the air. The bag ripped open in mid-air, causing the jewels to land into the water.

Wondergirl climbed onto the head of Shark. She rammed her fists into the eyes of the beast which caused him to scream in agony.

The dark haired Amazon Princess waited for Vulture to dive bomb her. She slipped out of the way at the moment of the truth.

Vulture and Shark had a meeting of the minds. Wondergirl scrambled onto one of the cases, and the water continued to rise.

"You'll pay for ruining my big score!" Fox yelled.

"And here I thought you needed to count to keep score," Supergirl said. She used her ice breath to freeze the water, which trapped Shark and Vulture.

One member of the Terrible Trio stood. His body began to quiver as he drew in more power. He started to grow even larger.

"Now, I have you!"

A nine foot tall Fox walked across the ice. His weight caused the ice to crack and the creature dropped through the thin life.

"So much power, too bad it couldn't up your brain to something beyond fluff," Donna said.

Kara grabbed the totem from the hand of the downed Fox. He started to shrink back into a normal beast.

Zatanna turned up, dragging the Terrible Trio from the ice. She clasped the totem in her hand and smiled as it started to rumble in her hand.

The creatures reverted back into their spoiled rich kids form. They shuddered because of the pain.

"The MCU, we better leave," Donna said.

Zatanna opened up a portal, making sure the Terrible Trio stayed gift wrapped. Despite being powerless and without clothes, she didn't want to take any chances. With another motion, she escorted Kara and Donna through the portal, to the gift house.

* * *

Cat read over her first big time story. It talked about how the Terrible Trio fell to the hands of Supergirl and how Supergirl wasn't the menace half of the city thought she was, but a true hero.

"Wow, you're hitting the ground, swinging, aren't you?"

Lois stood over Cat's shoulder, smiling.

"You're going to make all kinds of new friends with a story talking about how awesome Supergirl is," Lois said. "Although, I'd dial back the fangirl a little bit in the final draft. You don't want to see like you get wet in the panties over Supergirl, do you?"

Cat frowned and shook her head.

"So, another crisis averted, thanks to Supergirl," Lois said. "You'd be surprised how often she saves the day in this city, and no one hears about it."

"Like Superwoman before her?" Cat asked.

One only took a brief look at Lois's expression to see something bothered her.

"Yes, but we're going to have to move on from the past and look to the future," Lois said.

"Do you think Superwoman might come back?"

Lois shook her head and a long sigh passed through her lips.

' _Cat's a good kid, but not good enough to take a hint, is she?'_

"Never say never," Lois said.

Words of wisdom to live by, especially if you lived and breathed the news business as often and for as long as Lois did, you needed to never say never.

"I really want to thank Supergirl, she saved me from getting crushed," Cat said.

Lois smiled at the girl's tone bubbling over for a moment.

"You have it bad for Supergirl, don't you?" Lois asked.

"Oh, she's a real hero," Cat said. The woman sighed, but thankfully didn't swoon. At least she didn't do so too much. "I mean, she's not perfect, but who is? I mean, I'm not perfect, there are times where I put my mouth in my mouth."

Lois bit back several retorts she could have fired out towards the moment.

"You don't say?"

"Hey, we all ramble, don't you?" Cat asked. "But, seriously, I'd like to thank her, and if she wants me to get down on my knees and….."

"Cat, I have to go check up on a story….if you want to touch up the Supergirl story a little bit, we can go over it after my lunch break."

"Okay, Lois," Cat said. "Don't get in trouble or anything."

"As if," Lois said.

Lois made her way to the office, smiling. If Kara wanted a quick booty call at the Planet, she didn't have to look far for it.

* * *

Zatanna, Donna, and Kara returned the apartment. The two younger girls stripped down to their bra and panties. Donna wore a nice black bra and a black pair of lacy panties. Kara wore a lacy red bra and a red thong which covered what needed to be cover.

The sorceress looked over the two girls. The ritual to do so involved Zatanna running her hands over their bodies to check for vitals. Neither girl complained of Zatanna's magical hands roaming every inch of their young and supple flesh.

"There's no residual side effects on the Trio," Zatanna said. "They may have lost a few brain cells when the magic reset them into their default forms."

Kara shook her head.

"They were pretty vapid before then," Kara said. "I don't even want to think what they'll be like when they wake up…they are waking up?"

"I don't know," Zatanna said. "I slipped into lock up, disguised as medic. I scanned them quickly….could you tilt back a little bit?"

Kara tilted back a little back. This action allowed Zatanna to explore her nubile frame even more. Her hands roamed every inch of Kara's flesh and caused her to shiver.

"Relax," Zatanna said.

"What did you find out?" Donna asked.

"I found all of the traces of residual magic energy left them. So they're out of the woods, aren't they?"

"Well, good for them," Kara said. "They're going to be doing some serious time."

"My father still has a few more pieces of his collect, but this one is off the street. And don't worry, we only get a little bit more."

"Take your time," Kara said.

Zatanna descended to her knees. The top of her head pressed between Kara's legs for a second. She ran her hands down Kara's legs.

"You're the perfect specimen of health," Zatanna said. She paused and amended her statement. "Both of you are, actually."

"Good to know," Kara said. She flipped her head back and allowed her hair to fly out of her face. "I'm hungry though."

"Well, magic does create certain urges, which need to be fed," Zatanna said. "And food is needed to…."

Kara rose up off of the couch and threw herself at Zatanna. Donna watched in amusement when Kara molested Zatanna's body with her hands. The blonde heroine shoved her tongue down Zatanna's throat and massaged her tonsils with said tongue.

The Amazon Princess placed her hand to her breast. Her nipples really hardened underneath her touch. She ran her hands down her toned stomach. Donna touched her core.

Kara broke the kiss, to leave Zatanna panting against the wall.

"Not hungry for food, hungry for you, Zee," Kara said. She smiled as Zatanna's legs wrapped around her hips. "I can run my hands over those legs all day, and all night long. I can't get enough of you."

"Must be the fishnets," Zatanna said.

"I don't know who is responsible for my fishnet fetish, but between you and Dinah, I have one," Kara said. She licked her lips, running her hands back, and cupping Zatanna on the ass. "You know, I think your little scan had some side effects, but I'm sure you knew, you naughty little witch."

Zatanna's nipples hardened at Kara's words along with her tongue. The Girl of Steel stepped in for another kiss.

"You teased me, so it's only fair I take you."

Zatanna's top tore from her breasts.

"Lose the bra, you won't need it."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on October 13** **th** **, 2015.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Complications.**

* * *

A middle-aged gentlemen with dark hair, with the slightest hints of grey in said hair, arrived in Metropolis. Given all of the years in Gotham city, the gentleman found himself fairly fortunate his hair didn't turn completely grey. The officer supposed it would be because of the fortitude he built up through years in Gotham City. Being in the city required a fair amount of strength, and you either had it, or you did not.

James Gordon arrived in Metropolis. The investigation regarding the gang wars which happened in Gotham City brought him to Metropolis. The veteran cop did not come to Metropolis alone though.

A young Latina police officer with dark hair followed him. Renee Montoya would not be considered a pushover by any means, especially if someone had to deal with her on the force. The rough and tumble woman understood what it took to be a huge part of the GCPD.

A rotund man with greasy dark hair, and a toothpick in his mouth followed seconds later as well. He looked like an unmade bed and most pegged him as a dirty cop just by looking him. However, Harvey Bullock showed himself to be a valued member of the Gotham City Police Force over the years.

"Wow, Metropolis, of all of the places to be," Bullock said. "Now don't get me wrong, it's a nice change of pace from Gotham City. Air's a bit cleaner, but the people are a bit softer. I'm surprised people aren't screaming like little girls who got touched after the Joker came to town."

Maybe not one of the most politically correct individuals in the world, but his flaws could be overlooked by his competence. Gordon, Bullock, and Montoya slipped from the vehicle, and made their way to the Metropolis police station.

"I don't like this," Renee said. The detective could feel the frustration spread through her. "If our Gotham City problems stretched outside of the city limits….."

"Yeah, I don't like it either," Bullock said. "Dealing with people in Metropolis. They seem more interested in chasing some super powered cheerleader than they do in tracking down the real bad guy."

"Let's just try and get along with the Metropolis MCU," Gordon said. "I know the turbulent history between the MCPD and the GCPD."

Bullock raised his eyebrow at his superior.

"You mean, they think we're dirtbags, and we think they're pussies."

Gordon hoped they understood the main reason why they were here in Metropolis. The trio of cops climbed up the steps of the Metropolis Police Department headquarters. With a heavy heart, Gordon pushed open the door and allowed them inside.

The head of the MCU waited them, along with two of their top members, Dan Turpin and Maggie Sawyer. Gordon recalled the ordeal the two had been in. The Commissioner's attention diverted to them.

"I heard about what happened," Gordon said. "Are the two of you doing…"

"We can out of everything intact," Maggie said. "I suppose it's more you could say when people normally deal with the Joker."

"No one has ever been able to guess the Joker's game," Gordon said.

"Only one man has become close to successfully guessing the madman's game, hasn't he?" Maggie asked. "And he's gone."

Bullock muttered something underneath his breath. Turpin's burning gaze hit Bullock, and the two cops stared each other down.

"What did you say, you GCPD lowlife?" Turpin asked.

"Turpin!" Maggie and the superior yelled at the same time.

"I said, I'm surprised you aren't crawling underneath your blanket, because the big bad Joker is coming to town."

"How about I shove a Mag down your throat you fat son of a…"

The two police officers almost went nose to nose with each other.

"Turpin," his superior said.

"Bullock," Gordon said.

Gordon grabbed Bullock's shoulder and pulled him back. The last thing the two police departments needed to do was be at odds. The head of the MCU rolled his eyes at the antics of everyone involved. He leaned towards Gordon.

"Sorry," the MCU superior said. "Everyone is on edge. The Mayor isn't helping any matters. After what happened with Luthor and Superwoman, and Supergirl's….lapse of madness, we've got more than enough to worry about."

The rumors regarding what happened involving Supergirl reached him. Gordon recalled many times from experience there would be more to a situation which met the eye. The people of Metropolis weren't used to the type of oddities. In Gotham, those type of oddities just came with the badge.

Regardless, Gordon understood one thing. Despite Metropolis and Gotham being very different, to the fact they were night and day, they had to work with each other. He reached towards the head of the MCU

"Our two departments need to work together, despite our past problems," Gordon said.

"Yes, I know," the inspector said. "We'll do what we can to bring the Joker down once and for all."

"Many have tried," Gordon said. "We need to bring him to justice."

Everyone involved might not like the arrangement. Dealing with someone like the Joker inspired some rather strange bedfellows so they had to live with the arrangement.

Gordon sighed. Old wounds healed in a slow fashion. The commissioner turned around to face the nearest exit and lead Bullock and Montoya from the building.

"I know you don't like them, Bullock, but could you please not try and cause a scene next time?" Gordon asked.

"Fine, I'll be a good little boyscout, Gordon, just for you," Bullock said.

Montoya turned to Bullock, an eyebrow raised and a groan of frustration passing through the lips of the Latina Detective.

"You know, you could be less of an asshole," Montoya said.

* * *

Kara joined quite the motley crew for lunch. Donna and Barbara arrived a bit earlier. Dinah, Thea, and Artemis showed up seconds later to complete the rest of the group.

"So, never a dull moment, is there?" Dinah asked.

"In our lives, hardly," Barbara said.

"Well, there's a difference between having a dull moment in our lives, and what happened," Artemis said. "Ella is settled in to the apartment. She's currently visiting some friends in Metropolis."

"She made friends?" Thea asked. Artemis cast her one of those looks. She cleared her throat. "Oh of course she made friends, why wouldn't she make friends?"

"So many reasons," Kara said. "But, I'm glad she's settling in, although I'm not sure if I would have left her alone."

"Yes, I'm a bit concerned as well," Dinah said.

"Hey, I escorted her there personally, and the girls seemed nice enough," Artemis said. "If we're going to get her on your side, you need to give her space. I know how you are regarding….."

"Artemis, please don't bring it up," Dinah said.

"Right, but I know how you are," Artemis said. "Let's not worry about it, let's worry about the Joker."

"Which is the reason why your father has rolled into town, isn't it?" Kara asked.

"Yes, pretty much," Barbara said.

Barbara folded her hands together. She knew it was only a matter of time before the Joker's insanity drew her father into Metropolis. The Clown Prince of Crime's insanity knew very few bounds.

Regardless, Barbara eagerly anticipated the arrival of her father. It had been a long time since she had a chance to talk to him. She hoped he didn't mind having lunch with a group.

Kara smiled for a second and leaned in towards Barbara.

"So, what have you told your father about your accident?" Kara asked.

"I told him I was in a skiing accident," Barbara said.

"Skiing accident, really?" Dinah asked. The entire thought sounded fairly absurd to Dinah, especially when considering one fact. "Do you even ski?"

"A little, but obviously I'm not good at it, if I had an accident."

Thea broke out into laughter, almost striking her head on the table because the laughter overwhelmed the heiress so much.

"She has you right there," Thea said.

"Hopefully he doesn't ask too many questions," Kara said. "Providing he doesn't already figure out what you do at night."

"He's a good police officer, why wouldn't he?"

For a while though, Barbara thought her father might have an idea about her nocturnal activities. The two of them never discussed the point. He didn't ask, she didn't tell. The arrangement suited both of them.

For reasons of plausible deniability, because Barbara's work as Batgirl could seriously impact her father's career. She swore up and down putting on the cowl was a one-time event, which lead to a few times, which lead to a good half of her life.

The good half of her life put completely on hold at least for the moment.

"So, your sister isn't going to join us today?" Kara asked.

"No," Donna said. "Diana sends her regrets, and says she'll make it for it sometime else. And you know she's good for it."

Kara wished as well, but understood Diana's schedule. She might be the one person on Earth with the most insane schedule possible. A part of Kara envied the Amazon Princess for the amount of time she put in.

Those thoughts diverted from the fact James Gordon entered. The man looked like he had been through a hell of a meeting. He smiled and made a beeline for his daughter and her friends.

Barbara rose from her chair and greeted her father with a hug.

"Dad, it's good to see you," Barbara said.

"Good to see you as well, Barbara," Gordon said.

"So, what brings you to Metropolis?"

"Business," Gordon said. "For the GCPD and I'd prefer if I don't talk about it now."

"Okay, fair enough, I guess."

She figured as much, but no one could fault a girl for trying. James sat down at the table, making himself comfortable. The Gotham Commissioner turned to Dinah.

"So, how is your father doing?" Gordon asked. "We've all been thinking about him at the GCPD, even though he's transferred out of town. His accident hit a lot of us hard."

Dinah smiled. She would have to pass on the well wishes to her father.

"Well, Dad is doing fine, a little stir crazy, but he's doing fine," Dinah said. "He had to take a desk job, and his field days are pretty much older. He can still do some good out there in the world, but….the good he does is limited from behind a desk."

James chuckled. If he knew Lance, being behind a desk and not out on the field would be eating away at him. He had been through a rather rough time because of his wife and his youngest daughter. He deserved some downtime.

Barbara decided introductions were in order. Her father already knew Donna, Kara, and Dinah, but he didn't have the pleasure of meeting the other two women at the table.

"Dad, this is Thea Queen," Barbara said. "And this is Artemis Crock."

James raised an eyebrow when he looked at Artemis. A sheepish look crossed his face.

"Crock….your father is Lawrence Crock….The Sportsmaster, isn't it?"

"Yes," Artemis said.

"Well, I had to…put him into Blackgate."

Always awkward when Gordon ran into the child of one of the people he had to put behind bars. Artemis didn't give him the frown or the scowl like most people did when confronted by this information. She waved her hands.

"Don't worry about it," Artemis said. "So he's in Blackgate? Good, I know where he is now. Which is more than I knew before you threw him there."

James chuckled and nervously took a drink. He could use something a bit stronger, but had to set a good example in front of Barbara and her friends.

He heard of his daughter's accident, on a skiing trip which left her shook up, but okay. James leaned into Barbara.

"Barbara, how are you really?" Gordon asked. "What happened?"

Barbara frowned for a few seconds. She decided the best way to answer his question

"Fine, Dad, it's just a skiing accident," Barbara said. "I'm doing the best I can to deal with it. If I didn't get the treatment I did, I might have lost the use of my legs."

A few seconds later, James nodded. He felt Barbara's accident looked like it had more to it than met the eye. He figured Barbara had her secrets. He suspected enough, but didn't delve further into it. The less he knew about those secrets, the better. As much as he hated to admit it, Barbara handled herself well.

' _Almost could be a problem.'_

Regardless, Barbara turned to her father, with a deep frown on her face. She corked her eyebrow.

"So, are you holding up well?" Barbara asked.

"About as well as I could, given the circumstances," James said. "I could use something to eat though, I'd hold up a little bit better."

She figured as much, but she had to try to ask. With the food ordered, the business of the day would have to wait for later.

* * *

Cheshire crept out of the shadows. The woman stepped into a warehouse. The skilled assassin made her way inside.

The mercenary planned to meet with a gentlemen who had valuable information to hand over. This information allowed her to prove herself.

The gentlemen Cheshire looked for slumped against a pillar. Another step verified the man did not move.

A second step over verified the gentlemen died before Cheshire arrived. The woman turned around and rushed forward.

The assassin stopped for a second. A second individual laid face down on the ground. The woman crouched down and turned the man over. A permanent grin etched on his face.

Cheshire hitched in the breath held in her body. The assassin clenched her fists so tightly it almost caused the circulation to be removed from her hands.

The assassin crossed the warehouse. The weapon could still be here.

The person who killed these two men also still could be here. The assassin searched the warehouse area around her. Her teeth dug into her lip the more she kept searching. So far, she located nothing of relevance.

Her bosses intended for her to lift the weapon. Cheshire's life didn't hang in the balance. The lives of another which she wished to protect hung in the balance.

The grin on the face of the guard reminded Cheshire who she dealt with. The Joker's reputation reached even her ears. Very few things terrified the hardened assassin, but the Joker belonged on the short list.

The woman understood she found herself between a rock and a hard place. The assassin slipped off into the night to consider her next move.

* * *

Dinah stretched out, dressed in a pair of tight shorts and a sports bra. Her beautiful body stretched out, her long and lovely legs bending as well. Thea and Artemis joined her in the center of the room, dressed in tight yoga pants and tops as well.

Donna, Kara, and Barbara sprawled out on the couch, discussing what they learned over the past couple of days.

"So, ever since the Terrible Trio, everything's been fairly quiet, hasn't it?" Donna asked.

"Yes, quiet," Kara said. "Well, Willis is still spitting out her anti-Supergirl diatribe, but I think we've all learned to ignore her by now, haven't we?"

"Yes," Donna said. "We have."

"Good," Kara said. "But I'm still surprised the Joker hasn't made his move."

"A quiet Joker is worse than an active one, "Barbara said. "You know, because he's planning some big move."

"The calm is really weird, it just isn't him," Kara said.

"Maybe he's sick? Donna asked.

"How could anyone tell?" Barbara asked. "Oh, you mean physically, not mentally."

Everything proved to be weird over the past several days. Would everything become even weirder as time went on? They didn't know.

Dinah circled around Thea and Artemis. The two of them tried to close in on Dinah. Dinah twisted her way around their attacks. She spun around and fired a vicious snap kick in an attempt to knock the wind out of Thea.

The stunning siren reached behind Artemis. Artemis struggled out of Dinah's grip, and flipped out of position. The second Artemis landed on her feet, Dinah used her momentum.

"The two of you needed to return to basics sooner. You're a good shot, but if you're against someone who fights you close up, you're going to struggle to a fight. You need to step up with your hand to hand."

Artemis and Thea agreed with Dinah's assessment. Both of them found themselves relying way too much on their arrows. Hand to hand suffered.

Dinah motioned for them to go through. Artemis rushed her and engaged in a brief barrage of hand to hand.

Kara, Donna, and Barbara exchanged smiles. They turned themselves away from the conversation to watch the fight.

"Well, Dinah's still as good as ever before," Barbara said.

"Brings back some memories getting your ass kicked in sparring?" Donna asked.

"Much like you and Diana," Barbara said.

"Yes, much like me and Diana," Donna said. "Artemis is holding her own, but Dinah is lulling her in, right about….now!"

Almost on cue, Dinah flipped Artemis to the ground. Artemis struggled to get up.

"So, you're on bottom as always. But you should be used to being on the bottom."

Thea nearly snickered. Dinah turned to her, with a predatory grin on her face. It wiped the smile off of her face.

"Ready when you are Thea," Dinah said.

The Queen heiress charged Dinah. The two of them engaged in a fairly intense round of hand to hand combat. Thea held her own for far longer.

At least until Dinah knocked Thea onto her ass right next to Artemis. The stunning siren stepped back for a moment.

"Well, I think we've had enough for this sparring session today," Dinah said. "And I'm sure you've had enough of me putting you through the paces."

"And not in the good way," Thea said.

Artemis shook her head. No sooner did the sparring session end, her communicator went off, the same time Kara's did.

"Yes, Chloe," Kara said.

"Yes, Felicity," Artemis said at the same time.

Both girls hung up after being given the information and turned to each other to compare notes.

"Intergang attacked a terrorist stronghold and stole a high tech weapon," Artemis said. "Sound about right?"

"I got the same information," Kara said. "Did you know Cheshire was sighted around the same warehouse?"

"Yes, I know," Artemis said. "And it's time to settle the score."

Past defeats against the assassin prompted Kara and Artemis to angle for payback. Cheshire sparked the entire Black Kryptonite incident. Artemis wanted to settle the score with Cheshire for breaking her arm.

Artemis walked over and suited up. Kara did the same thing.

"Remember, Cheshire's mine!" Artemis and Kara yelled in unison.

Given all circumstances, Artemis thought her desire for revenge proved to be just a bit more personal.

* * *

Several goons scrambled, almost tripping over their feet to follow the orders. They stood in front of a club formerly owned by Bruno Mannheim. The one and only Harley Quinn stepped out of the exit of the club. The crazed bitch's eyes narrowed as she looked at the large crate they tried to struggle to hold.

"Alright, keep it up, and don't you drop it. If you drop it, I'll blow your brains out."

"Well, you could give us a little room, so we don't drop it."

"Hey, hey, listen here!" Harley yelled. "We have a time table which the boss wants to keep. And you know Mister J, he's all about the money now, because money makes funny. And funny money makes the world go around. Or whatever he said. But it means, you better not fuck up, or I'll feed you to the fishes."

With an impassionate declaration like she gave, how could anyone argue? Harley placed her hands on her hips and laughed.

The boss wanted everything to run like clockwork, if his master plan would happen. Some of their old friends from Gotham City stopping by right on schedule didn't even deter him.

A figure swooped down from the shadows. Harley's eyes widened for a second.

"What….protect me!" Harley yelled. "You're my bodyguards."

"We're not….."

"Well you are now!" Harley snapped. "So do me a favor and guard my body!"

Two of the larger thugs stepped out in front of the woman. One of them raised a pipe over his head and attempted to smash it down the back of his adversary.

A blade sliced into his throat. The gentlemen doubled over, gurgling from the blood pouring through his throat.

The second large thug tried to attack. His knee's cracked from underneath him. The second movement put him head first into the ground with a solid crack. The third movement put a blade in the back of his neck.

Harley drew a weapon from her belt and pointed it at her adversary. Her eyes bulged out.

The blade sliced into the weapon. Someone swooped behind Harley, and held her from behind. The feisty woman tried to push away.

Harley's attempts to escape stalled due to the fact a cold hard blade pressed against the side of her throat.

"What the hell do you want?" Harley asked.

"Don't talk anymore," Cheshire said. "If the Joker wants to see you alive, he better give me what I desire."

"You're going to try a leverage a deal with the Joker?" Harley asked. The woman scoffed and shook her head. "And people call me nuts."

"I told you to be silent!"

Seconds after this declaration, Harley passed out. Cheshire dragged the dead weight into the alleyway, preparing for her next move.

Desperation made for some questionable decisions. Cheshire understood the price of desperation better than many others.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on October 16** **th** **, 2015.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Deal with the Devil Part One.**

* * *

Technically, Ella didn't lie, she went to visit some friends, and spent a couple of hours catching up with them. Where Ella would go afterwards, she might have mislead Dinah, Artemis, and Thea about. Better to ask for forgiveness then to beg for permission, not Ella cared. She wanted to gain a bit of payback. The wheels of justice moved too slowly for the liking of the former mob princess.

The dark haired woman lurked around outside of the warehouse in Metropolis. The pitter patter of rain splashed against the ground. Ella ignored the rain. The rain in Metropolis was only a trick compared to Gotham City.

She hunched over in the shadows. Two goons slumped over. They guarded something. Ella noticed how inattentive they were. Easy to take them out.

Ella armed her crossbow. She aimed the crossbow at one of the goon. A bolt fired into the chest of one of the goons. The goon doubled over. The second bolt fired to the second goon took him out.

' _Finally,'_ Ella thought.

Ella crossed the room. A pair of hands grabbed her from the shadows no sooner did she reach the door. The woman struggled against the grip of the man.

"You know, it's useless struggling! In fact, it will get you killed just a little bit faster."

The man's arm wrapped underneath Ella's chin, with Ella taking a couple of moments to position her head to face the man properly. The monster clown's face reflected out of the window. Ella groaned as she took a long look at the horror before her.

"You're….you're…him. You killed my father!"

The Joker laughed, almost as if the entire accusation amused him.

"Please, I kill a lot of people's fathers. You're not going to get underneath my skin by telling me….oh let's have a better look at you. Maybe it will job the old memory banks. Not as sharp as I used to be. Problem with old age, the brain cells all start dying."

Ella almost kicked away from the Joker. Almost, but he kept a good grip on her.

"You're the daughter of the mob boss, I had whacked. Nothing personal, just thought I'd make things interesting. But still, you decided to make things personal."

Joker withdrew a switchblade from his sleeve. The cold steel pressed against Ella's throat who struggled against the Joker's grip.

"And you were the one who decided to make things personal," The Joker said. "I'm a professional after all. And I've had it up to here with women dressed in skintight leather interfering in my operations."

The Joker paused, but allowed his hand to remain steady. One wrong move from Ella, and the Joker planned to cut into her throat.

"Bet, you never thought you'd hear me say that! But, seriously, you're far too young for me, and not my type. The Bat wouldn't even be into such a thing. He's more into dressing young boys in tight green booty shorts and bright outfits. Which is a perfect target for shooting by the way!"

The Joker laughed, always one to take a shot at the Batman, even when the detective was long since worm food.

The insidious laughter coming from this psychopath rang in Ella's ears. Ella returned to an awful conclusion. No matter what she did, she might be killed.

The Joker brought her over to a chair and sat her down. He tied her up against the chair.

"I could kill you," Joker said. "You've got some real moxie kid, trying to mess with my shit like you have. But…..there is someone who wanted me to keep an eye out for little girls. Sugar, spice, and everything nice, and maybe a little dash of Chemical X. Those are the ingredients to create the perfect little girls."

The Joker laughed in amusement. Ella wondered if he lost his mind. Actually, she remembered who she dealt with and answered the question.

' _Bastard is off his rocker more than I thought,'_ Ella thought. The ropes dug into her wrist, practically burning her. _'Oh god, I'm in way over my head. And I'm going to die….you'd think I have more common sense. I thought I could kill him, but he's turning the tables.'_

"So, you're going to sell me into prostitution or something?" Ella asked.

"Prostitution?" the Joker asked. The man's tone sounded insulted when he got in Ella's face "What kind of racket do you think I'm running here? I'm a man of high moral fiber, how dare you accuse me of being involved with something so tawdry!"

The door swung open and one of the goons walked forward. He carried a DVD.

"If it's porn, I'm not in the mood," Joker said.

"It's not…boss….some woman dropped it off, and killed half of our boys," the goon said. "She said you should watch it, like yesterday."

"It better be good," Joker said.

Joker walked over and fired up the old DVD player. He pressed play and waited. A woman dressed in a green cloak with a Cheshire cat mask stood behind Harley, who was bound and gagged.

"Oh, talk about a good look, you're looking better already, Harley!" the Joker said.

"Give me the device, Joker, and you'll get your girl back in one piece," Cheshire said. "Or, you don't, and I send Quinn back in several pieces. You have forty eight hours. I'll be waiting."

"Hey, you dare give me an ultimatum, the Joker!" the man in question howled. "I won't be mocked with such an affront. I'm not going to…"

The Joker paused for a moment, and collected his thoughts.

"You know, I picked up the device on a whim. It must have been a pretty good whim if those League of Shadowy Assassins people want it."

Joker turned to his goons.

"Make sure our mob princess stays put," Joker said.

"Right, sure boss."

"If she doesn't, I swing a pretty mean crowbar," The Joker said. "Just ask the Boy Wonder."

The Joker broke into a cackling round of laughter for a few more seconds.

"Or you could ask him, if he wasn't a little bit dead right now, him being dead is a problem, but anyway….I'm off….got to check on a couple of things."

"So, are you going to rescue, Harley, boss?"

"Yeah, maybe, depends if I can get around on it or not," Joker said. "Let her stew for a couple of hours, might do her some good. She shouldn't have gotten herself captured."

* * *

Green Arrow crept through the shadows. She cut a pretty good pace, even with Supergirl behind her and able to move even quicker.

"Okay, she's got to be around here somewhere," Green Arrow said.

"Are you sure you're not overreacting?" Red Arrow asked.

"Thea, I'm not overreacting, she broke my arm," Green Arrow said. "And she's the reason why Kara….."

"Don't get mad enough on my account, I'm upset enough as it is about what she did as it is," Kara said. She brushed the strands of hair out of her eyes.

Supergirl and Green Arrow took one side of town. Black Canary and Red Arrow took the other side of town. Canvasing Metropolis for an assassin, especially one who was adept at disappearing wasn't the easiest thing in the world. The two groups separated in their own separate ways.

After about an hour of searching, no luck with finding Cheshire. Both sides experienced an ample amount of frustration on this night.

"Talk about looking for a needle in a haystack," Barbara said. "Did it occur to you she might have skipped town already?"

"Maybe," Green Arrow said. "But, we have to overturn every rock until we're sure."

Supergirl frowned. She looked with X-Ray vision. Half of the buildings in this city were Lex Luthor creations, so half of the buildings in the city lined with lead. She could only look in so many buildings before something blocked her vision.

And knowing Cheshire, she hid in one of the buildings where Supergirl couldn't use her X-Ray vision.

Kara moved on to check something out. The Intergang goons looming in the alleyway.

"The new boss is nuts, but at least he pays way, providing you don't get on his bad side."

"What about tonight? Some mob princess from Gotham snooped around his warehouse. Surprised she didn't get blown up or beaten half to death with a crowbar, or something?"

"Do you think the Joker's going soft in his old age?"

"Yeah, you don't want to say he's getting soft too loud. You're pretty soft in the head if you think he's not as crazy as ever. He's just has a different brand of craziness."

"I mean, compared to Mannheim….."

"Mannheim's a hot head, granted, but he's just going to yell and scream at you. Joker's going to shoot you in cold blood if he's in the right mood. Or the wrong mood, depending on how you swing things"

"Yeah, yeah, the man's in a mood right now, I wouldn't want to cross him."

"His girl got kidnapped, didn't she?"

"Yeah, you would think he'd want to get rid of the dame. She's nothing, but trouble."

"She'd cut off your balls if she heard you call her a dame."

"Well, it's a good thing she's not here to hear me."

Green Arrow saw more than enough. Her crossbow aimed and she launched an arrow into the side of one of the goons. More arrows fired as the Intergang goon dropped down.

She came down on a wire and kicked one of her enemy's in the face. Both of her feet cracked against the chest of her adversary. The adversary staggered back a couple of steps, the wind having been knocked out of her.

Supergirl drove one of the goons down. She grabbed another goon, hoisted him up, and launched him into the wall.

"We should leave one of them conscious so they can spill the beans," Supergirl said.

"Right, only one," Artemis said.

An arrow shot into the chest of the goon. The goon staggered over, blood dripping from his mouth from the impact. The Intergang goons fell down.

"Okay, you're going to talk," Supergirl said.

"Supergirl, oh god, please don't kill me!"

For once, her escapades underneath the Black Kryptonite worked in Kara's favor, instead of working against her. The goon's terror spread over his body.

"I won't rip you apart, if you tell me what the Joker's up to," Supergirl said.

"She'll either rip you apart or I'll put an arrow through your balls," Artemis said.

The man whimpered after his manhood had been threatened.

"Okay, a bit extreme, but I'll allow it," Barbara said.

"Please, please, please don't hurt me, please!" the goon howled.

"You won't get hurt," Kara said. "If you tell us what you know. Who did the Joker kidnap?"

"Well, he didn't kidnap her….Bertinelli's daughter, she was snooping around. She has a hair up her ass for some reason."

Artemis groaned. When they found Ella, she was going to have to chain her down somewhere or something to keep her from causing trouble.

"But, the Joker, got the drop on her, and he has big plans for her. One of his associates wanted him to round up some girls, for something."

"For what?" Supergirl asked.

"I didn't ask, he didn't tell."

Supergirl relaxed her grip for a couple of seconds. She would have to take his word for it.

"The Cheshire woman, she has Harley, and it's put the boss in a mood."

Artemis made a split second decision of what to do.

"Okay, Thea, you and Dinah go and look for Ella. We're going after Cheshire still."

"Right," Dinah said. "It's not your fault, she's….we should have all kept a better eye on her."

* * *

Harley's eyes flickered open. The ropes dug into her body as she tried to wake up.

"Could you ease up on the bondage?" Harley asked. "Normally, I'm into something like this, but you're doing it a bit too much."

Cheshire turned around from her. The woman walked towards Harley and crouched down, getting in her face.

"You really don't know how much trouble you're in, do you?" Cheshire asked.

"Oh, come on, you know what's going to happen," Harley said. "You know, Mistuh J is going to save me, and, you're going to be in big trouble. Maybe he takes a crowbar to you like he did to bird brain!"

"Amusing, I've seen children who are less naïve than you are," Cheshire said. "You better hope the Joker is serious about you, and doesn't see you as expendable."

"My puddin' cares for me, he just doesn't know how to show it sometimes."

Cheshire almost rolled her eyes. The woman fingered a dagger, and put it near up against Harley's throat. Harley gulped for a second.

"You know, you could be a bit nicer. When's the last time you got laid? It's been a long time for me, too, because my puddin'….well technically we haven't done the deed. Red, on the other hand, she's always good to scratch an itch. Even if she does the weird thing with the plant vines. It's like something out of a hentai, you know. And….well it's pretty naughty, I wonder what she really does with some of those plants when no one is looking. I'm sure my puddin' is just saving himself for our wedding night, to make everything more special."

Cheshire grabbed Harley by the neck.

"If you don't shut up, you're going to be turned into pudding. Do you hear me?"

"Clearly," Harley said in a small voice.

"I hear the same bullshit excuses coming from your mouth I've heard coming from the mouths of a million woman," Cheshire said. "You'll bend over backwards for some bastard who would slap you around because he's having a bad day."

"Wait, you know a million women?" Harley asked.

"Not the point!" Cheshire yelled.

"Could be a hell of an orgy…."

Cheshire groaned. She wondered what she got herself into by kidnapping this woman and bringing her here. Especially when the woman just wouldn't shut her mouth even though her life depended on it.

The doors of the warehouse blew up. Several Intergang goons entered the warehouse, armed to the teeth.

"See, he actually does care!" Harley cried.

"Actually, the boss doesn't want to look like a punk," the goon said. "Release Quinn, or you'll be sorry."

"Unless you have my device, it's not the deal," Cheshire said. She touched the blade to Harley's neck. "Remember, the deal is the device for the Joker's woman. I refuse to make any other agreement, do you hear me?"

"I could blow both of you away right now."

"The boss would never be happy with you if you blew me away!" Harley yelled. "You can't….."

An arrow sliced through the elbow of one of the Intergang goons, forcing him to drop the weapon.

"Wonderful," Cheshire said. She tightened her hand around Harley's neck and dragged her off into the shadow. The room got a little too crowded for her liking.

Intergang turned and tried to attack the Green Arrow. A gust of wind knocked them over. The Intergang goons flew ass over tea kettle, slamming into the ground.

One of the goons scrambled in an attempt to lift up the weapon. Supergirl came from the sky, and ripped the weapon from the hands of the Intergang goon. Supergirl reared back her fist and nailed him in the chest.

She bounced all around the goons like a super powered ping-pong ball. Supergirl ripped the weapons from their hands, knocking them over.

The Girl of Steel hovered for a second over their heads. The Intergang goons dropped to the ground.

One of the goons rushed to a weapon. Green Arrow aimed an arrow and caught him in the back of the leg. The arrow caused him to slump over, blood gushing from the back of his leg. Artemis brought the point of her elbow down onto the back of the head of her enemy.

Artemis slammed the goon hard into the ground, causing the back of his head to crack onto the ground.

In the chaos, Cheshire slipped out of the backdoor, which left them back to square one.

"She couldn't have gotten far," Green Arrow said.

The score would be settled one way or another tonight.

* * *

"I put a tracking device on Ella," Black Canary said.

"Oh, you're learning," Barbara said in excitement.

"Yes, well, you live in Gotham City for long enough and you pick up a few habits," Black Canary said. "And not all of them are necessarily good habits."

Black Canary and Red Arrow crept into the shadows. They made their way to a warehouse, which was out in the middle of nowhere.

"Okay, this place, Mannheim used it as a bit of a storing house for Intergang business, and I guess….."

"It was abandoned a couple of years ago," another voice said. "Which would make it the perfect place for the Joker to hole up….sorry for stepping on your toes, but you did kind of dominate the call."

"Yeah, I'm sure you are," Barbara said.

"Oh, do I sense a bit of professional hostility?" Chloe asked. "Coupled with a tiny bit of personal hostility. I didn't think you would be like this, Barbara."

"I'm not like this, Chloe," Barbara said. "I'm just saying, I looked up the information, and I got undercut a little bit."

"You do realize I can hear everything in this three way…..conversation, the three-way conversation. Not any other three-way."

"Felicity, shut up while you're ahead," Thea said.

"I think I'm not ahead, I'm on the bottom….not underneath anyone, but on the bottom….wow, I really do need to shut up….but you should be able to get in the side entrance….."

"The third door to the right on the east side," Barbara said. "There's a guard, but he looks about three beers over the legal limit."

Thea smiled and aimed a special arrow she created. A boxing glove arrow pointed towards the goon. She fired a shot.

The boxing glove arrow knocked out the goon.

"Really, Thea?" Black Canary asked. "A boxing glove arrow?"

"Hey, it worked didn't?" Thea said, shrugging. "Okay, it's not the best tactic in the world, but it works, doesn't it?"

Black Canary stepped inside the warehouse. She looked around and motioned for Thea to follow her.

The blipping of the tracking device lead her over to a dumpster. Black Canary's heart fell down a little bit. She wouldn't be surprised if the crazy bastard stuffed Ella inside a dumpster after beating her to death, and had a good laugh about it.

"I'll do it," Thea said.

Thea's stomach twisted a little bit. She reached over to the dumpster and pulled it open.

Thankfully, no Ella inside the dumpster, but a tracking device rested in the top of the dumpster. Someone attached a note to the device.

"I've went a few hundred rounds with the Bat, and you'd think I wouldn't see a tracking device, I'm hurt."

Thea and Dinah groaned.

"So, you're telling me all we accomplished tonight was busting some of Intergang's toys," Artemis said.

The emerald clad archer wanted to hit something, or curb stomp something. Her fist curled in frustration around her own bow. The woman really wanted to put an arrow through the head of her enemy and soon.

"I'm afraid so," Dinah said.

The group found themselves back into square one. All of them realized the Joker wouldn't make things too easy for them.

* * *

A limo pulled up at the docks. The door of the limo opened up. Three men exited, carrying Ella who had her hands and feet tied. A drawstring bag covered her head.

"If she gets away, it will be your heads."

The Joker exited. He hadn't heard back from the other group, but they weren't high priority. He sent some low level grunts with some cool looking toys after Harley.

If they failed, it wouldn't be on his head. If they succeeded, well really good for Harley as well. The clown prince of crime's face broke into a sadistic little grin.

A robed figure approached the Joker. The purple robe wrapped around a rough looking body and a hood pulled over a sadistic face.

' _Like this guy's style, and….he's a creepy little fucker, I like it.'_

"My name is Desaad, and I bring you a message from my grand prophet," Desaad said.

"Oh, are you some kind of man of the cloth?" the Joker asked.

"Something along those lines," Desaad said with a casual hand wave "But, the device you stole, is only one component of a deadly weapon. A weapon which can bring an entire city down to the ground in terror."

"The other part of the device for the girl?" Joker asked.

"Yes, I was about to ask you the same thing," Desaad said. "I have an associate who knows what to do with troublesome little girls like her."

"Well, I'd like to see what I'm getting into, before I jump all in," the Joker said. "No offense."

"None taken," Desaad said. "Follow me, it's in the back of the truck."

The Joker tried to hide his excitement. The Clown Prince of Crime bounced up and down on the balls of his feet looking like an overgrown schoolboy. He almost rubbed his hands together.

The back of the truck opened up. The other component of the device flickered in the Joker's eyes.

Before he could get a better look at the device, a loud crack echoed. One of his Intergang goons dropped to the ground.

Cheshire came from the rooftop, stabbing one of the goons in the chest with a violent slash. She grabbed the other goon around the head and snapped his neck down to the ground.

Ella struggled to get away, but couldn't on the account of her legs being tied. She couldn't really see where she went as well.

Cheshire made a beeline towards the Joker. She would be getting what she deserved now.

"Oh, you don't know who you're messing with," the Joker said.

"We'll see," Cheshire said. "But I have nothing to lose."

"Dangerous words," Joker said. "Too bad you won't live long enough to regret them."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on October 20** **th** **, 2015.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Deal with the Devil Part Two.**

* * *

Cheshire dove in for the kill, rushing at the Joker with an intentional to kill fully on her mind. The Joker turned his body and twisted out of the way. He forced the assassin to land on the ground hard. The Joker clenched the hand of the knife in his hand and tried to stab her. Cheshire flipped over and landed on her feet. The woman hurled a set of knives at the Joker. The Joker crouched down, to avoid the knives from impaling into him.

The clown prince of crime nearly received a death blow to the chest. The clown arched back to avoid the full force of the attack from impaling into his chest. He twisted around her attacks for a brief moment.

"You've got some fancy footwork kid!" Joker yelled. "But, can you really keep it up forever, or will you be left behind?"

Cheshire flipped onto her feet and caught the Joker in the jaw with a vicious snap kick. Joker staggered back and landed on the ground. Blood started to drip from his mouth. The Joker rolled over, and scrambled like a monkey.

The assassin tried to jump in the air, preparing for the kill. Joker clenched an object in his hand and turned around.

He swung the pipe, bringing it into Cheshire's face with a solid crack. Her mask bent underneath the pipe attack. Another swing of the pipe caught her in the chest doubling her over.

The Joker rose to his feet, looking at the pipe in his hand. He shrugged.

"Not necessarily a crowbar, but it's going to have to do, won't it?"

The Joker gripped the pipe in his hand and prepared to bring it into the back of Cheshire's head. A blunt object hit his hand, forcing him to drop the pipe.

The Joker pivoted around on his feet. The clown's eyes widened to take notice of Supergirl and the Green Arrow showing up. The Joker gave Cheshire one parting kick to the head, before whistling.

A van across the street opened up and several Intergang goons showed up. One of them held a really large energy cannon.

"Boys, the streets are getting a bit too crowded tonight, aren't they?" Joker asked. He clapped his hands. "You know what to do….TAKE THEM OUT!"

Before Intergang could even pull the trigger on their attacks, a figure in black leather swooped down. Black Canary opened her mouth and a super-sonic Canary Cry knocked the goons onto their backs.

The goons screamed in agony, and Red Arrow swooped in. The young archer began to fire arrows. The arrows struck the Intergang goons, disabling their weapons and then as well.

Green Arrow returned to the fray, not being outdone. She reared back her bow and planted one of them in the back of the leg, taking him down.

Supergirl flew in a zig-zag pattern. One of the goons lifted a large laser cannon. The laser cannon met her X-Ray vision, being taken out of the fray in a snap of the finger.

The Joker shivered and made his way to the truck containing the other component of the weapon.

"It's getting a bit too crowded in here," Joker said. He started up the truck and tore off like a madman out of hell.

Out of his rearview mirror, the Joker saw the heroes make short work of Intergang. He really needed to find better help these days, because he most certainly wasn't getting it with those clowns.

Joker tore out of there, seeing Harley out of the corner of his eyes. Cheshire tied his assistant to a lightpost. The Joker looked over his shoulder for a few seconds, considering what he might want to do next, but shrugged.

' _Not much of a loss.'_

Harley's muffled screams echoed, but the Joker cackled. It was her own damn fault she got herself into this predicament.

Intergang dropped to the ground. The Green Arrow's attention turned towards the figure in the robe. She remembered him as the same figure lurking about in the warehouse a long time ago. She loaded up her arrow, preparing to take him down with one solid shot.

An energy portal opened up, and the man smiled, before escaping through the portal. The Green Arrow tried to follow him, but the portal sealed up.

"Let him go," Kara said.

"But….." Artemis said.

"Trust me, it's not worth it to follow him," Kara said. She lifted a bound Ella up by her bindings, and a battered Cheshire.

"We should really get both of them back to base," Black Canary said. Artemis raised her eyebrow, giving Dinah one of those looks, but Dinah didn't even bat an eyebrow. "Listen, Artemis, I know you're….well I know you're not in the best of spirits right now, but….we've got to get them back to base."

"Yeah, I guess," Artemis said.

Kara flew both Ella and Cheshire back to base. She could have thrown the woman who was responsible for her Black Kryptonite escapades into the river right now and finished the job the Joker started. She pulled herself back from doing so in an instant.

* * *

"What were you thinking going after the Joker of all people? You could have been killed out there!"

Dinah crossed her arms across her chest and bared down at Ella. Ella's eyes rolled into the back of her head. She expected the lecture the moment the group touched down, but….still she hated it.

"You aren't doing anything to take him down," Ella said. The young girl scowled back at Dinah. "You haven't done anything for years. Batman went into the ground and the Joker is still alive. Why doesn't someone just grow a set of balls and shoot the bastard in the head? Do you realize how many lives…"

"It's not the way we do things," Dinah said.

"Well, your way is flawed," Ella said.

Kara hated to admit the young woman had a point as it regarded to the Joker. Dinah was a bit too angry to listen to any kind of reason.

"What's the point in you being in protective custody, if you keep running off," Dinah said. "We took you at your word you were going off to visit friends, and you pull this shit! I can't believe you, Ella!"

"For the record, I didn't lie about going off to visit friends, I did see the friends, Artemis and Thea met them," Ella said. "And you know, this self-righteous act is getting a bit old. You think you can be everyone's older sister. Which is funny, given your attitude drove your younger sister into the arms of your own boyfriend and….well, we all know what….."

"Don't you….don't you talk about Sara to me," Dinah said.

Artemis shifted her weight between Dinah and Ella. The emerald-clad archer cringed with the sore subject being brought up against Dinah.

"Okay, everyone calm down, please, try and calm down," Artemis said. "I know everyone's upset, but we got bigger problems to worry about. In case, you didn't remember, the Joker has a doomsday device which will level half of Metropolis, or maybe it will level more than half of Metropolis. But still, he's a big problem and we can't deal with the problem, if we're at each other's throats."

Kara returned to patching up Jade. The assassin closed her eyes.

"Ah, the once mighty Justice League," Jade said. Kara jammed the needle into her forearm, and started to stich up the wound. Jade winced, although the pain came second nature to her. "Is stitching me up without numbing me first your passive aggressive attempt of getting revenge for the entire Black Kryptonite thing? You should know, I only intended to use the Kryptonite to strip your powers, not the Kryptonite which made you evil."

Jade bit down on her tongue, refusing to scream out loud from the racking amount of agony spreading through her being. The pain started to rack over her body a little bit. Kara kept working the needle into her forearm, making several passes over her as she attempted to stich up the woman.

"Regardless, you damaged my reputation," Kara said.

"Who cares what those idiots think?" Jade asked. "I mean, you still get to be a heroine, I don't know why you'd want to. Some of those people you save really are too stupid to live."

"You haven't changed much, have you, Jade?" Artemis asked. "What can you tell us about the device?"

"For the record, the fact there's a second component is news to me," Jade said. "And I'm really surprised you didn't leave me for dead. I would have done the same."

"I'm not you," Artemis said.

"Ah, I see," Jade said. "You're going to act all noble when you had to fight not to put an arrow into my head. And I wouldn't have blamed you. I did leave you for dead. And for the record, you're still on their list. And after tonight….well after tonight….."

"What, Jade?" Artemis asked.

"You know, you know way too much already, more for you own good," Jade said. "Don't try and stir things around. Things in the League have become complicated, too complicated for their own good even."

"You left the League," Artemis said.

"Me leaving the League is why things are complicated," Jade said. "And you never truly leave the League of Assassins. There are two ways out. You beat the Demon, or you leave fallen in battle with honor or in disgrace, depending on your perspective."

Jade sighed for a moment. She really spoke way too much on the matter already. The woman shook her head for an instant, returning to her thoughts.

"And I suppose you want to know what the device does?"

"It would help," Artemis said.

"As far as I know, and….I don't even know now with the second component in place, it's a device which can jam all communications. But I'm guessing my contact didn't have his facts straight."

"Maybe it does jam communications with the lone component," Kara said. She checked Jade's wounds to make sure they were properly fixed, making sure to fix them slowly, using the most amount of pain possible. "Maybe together, it's something else entirely."

* * *

The Joker crossed his arms. At this moment, the clown prince of crime resembled a frustrated father who tried to figure out how to resemble his child's new bike on Christmas morning. He really had no idea how to assemble the device.

Looking over his shoulder at the rapidly depleting Intergang goons, Joker doubted any of them had any clue whatsoever how to assemble this device as well. The Joker growled and gritted his teeth.

"Well, this is a fine bit of uselessness," Joker said. "What's the point in having some device which can….do something, if you can't make it do anything!"

The Joker didn't have a chance to ask the hooded weirdo about twenty questions before everything went south, and by south, he meant it went like the south end of a donkey.

"Everything didn't go as planned as you thought, did it?"

The Joker turned around. The same hooded weirdo showed up, and the Joker frowned. He noticed him standing behind him.

"You're harder to get a hold of than a jack rabbit in heat," The Joker said. He corked his eyebrow and stared down his mystery man. "But, I'm glad you're here, because I could really use a little bit of technical support."

"Everything hasn't gone according to plan, has it?" Desaad asked.

"You can say that again, Reverend!" Joker yelled. He clenched his fist, restraining himself from the urge to shoot the robed weirdo. "I'm down a few men, a lot of toys, and I have a bunch of capes who are after me….and I haven't even done much of anything other than kidnap a girl. Oh, and beat one of those Shadowy Assassin people up with a pipe, but seriously, she started it."

The Joker shook his head and groaned in response.

"But, I have a funny feeling this little something is going to level out the playing field," Joker said. He made a motion with his hand, as if signaling something leveling out. "Or rather, it better level out the playing field."

"Yes, the device will level any playing field, as you said," Desaad said. He made a motion with his hand. "All you have to do is flip one switch, and….countless will be brought to their knees."

Desaad adjusted the connection between the two components. A purple light manifested as he smiled.

"They will scream in frustration. No one will be able to hear them, or understand a single word they say. And the world will fall into a panic. Spoken word will be rendered completely useless, thus allowing you and your men to be able to do as you please."

"I like it so far," Joker said. He paused and frowned for a moment. "But, won't this failure to communicate affect us? I don't want to be brought to my knees as well. There's no point if we can't open our mouths and tell people what's what."

"Ah, don't think I haven't planned for the contingency," Desaad said. He put out a black metal case and put it front of the Joker.

The case contained several headsets. The headsets looked to be a sleek, if a bit dull black color. The Joker picked up the headset, flipping it over in his hand. His smile grew less prominent, but it was always present.

"Not exactly my style, but hey, it's going to have to do, won't it?" Joker asked. "Okay, boys, listen up….if you want to keep listening up, you put these on, and we're going to have a little party in Metropolis."

Joker slipped the headset on. It didn't feel constricting at all like a lot of headsets did. The Joker rubbed his hands together with glee.

"The device is ready, isn't it?" Joker asked.

"All you have to do is prepare to flip the switch," Desaad said. He took a step back and aimed his hand at the device. "Do you wish to do the honors?"

The Joker leaned in and pressed the switch. The Clown Prince of Crime started to cackle as the device started to hum to life.

* * *

Lois Lane sighed as she prepared to burn the midnight oils at the Daily Planet. Granted, no one really burned midnight oils, technically speaking any more, given most people no longer used oil lamps.

' _Still works well, because it feels like I'm burning something.'_

Lois worked a lot later on a story. The rumors of the Joker being sighted near the docks and fight involving the Arrow twins, Supergirl, and Black Canary reached her. No more details went out. Granted, the Vigilante Task Force looked pretty much ready to go to war against anyone.

The Joker was in town, but the VTF decided to focus their full and undivided attention to the heroes in the city.

' _Priorities,'_ Lois thought. _'They're just a tad bit misplaced, aren't they?'_

Lois hung her head in frustration and groaned. The dark haired reporter shook her head for an instant.

"Hey, look at this!"

Lois jumped halfway up her seat. Cat hung around the office fairly late. Lois admitted the kid started to grow on her, but it didn't give her any excuse to scare half to death.

"The Joker's girlfriend, the MCU found her strung up on a lightpost," Cat said. The young reporter stood up on her heels. "They're bringing her in for questioning. Maybe, we can find out where the Joker is doing."

Lois shook her head. So the Joker left Harley Quinn to her own devices. Given what she heard coming out of Gotham City, it seemed to be pretty much standard protocol involving the Joker. Lois shook her head for a moment.

Cat's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to say something. Only, no words came out, rather a garbled mess.

Lois blinked. Since when did Cat sound like one of the adults in the Peanuts? She opened her mouth to say something to Cat.

Only, Lois heard her words come out, and only in a garbled mess as well. The universal language of screaming and people losing their shit in the Daily Planet could be heard from her.

Lois tried to think to herself what the hell was going on. Only her own thoughts sounded rather garbled as well.

The reporter hurled her hands into the air. She closed her eyes, but opened them back up.

The sounds of cars crashing outside and screams of horror followed. Someone managed to not only garble the words of people, but also their thoughts.

Lois reached towards a sketchpad and scrawled down words. She couldn't even read her own writing. And not in the sense she couldn't even read her own writing. The reporter couldn't comprehend a single blasted word she wrote.

The squealing of cars and several gunshots echoed from outside. One of the reporters tried to dive into a window, but stopped short, landing on the floor.

Lois caught sight of Perry White acting like a chicken in his office. She raised an eyebrow, wondering if it was another day in the office.

A blur shot through the window, grabbing Lois. A pair of earbuds slipped into her ears.

"Lois, can you understand me?"

Kara hovered outside of the window. One of the members of the Daily Planet staff charged like a bull. Lois stuck her leg out and tripped the man up. The man crashed face first onto the ground.

"Yes, Kara, I can understand you," Lois said. "I can also understand how nuts everyone else in the office is."

Supergirl slipped a pair of ear buds into Cat's ears as well. She stood on the desk, about ready to do a strip dance. Although by the looks of things, Cat resembled someone who was about ready to have a seizure than someone who was going to strip.

"Oh my, Supergirl!" Cat yelled. She started to breath in heavily, out of relief more than anything. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"I need to stop the device, at least you can save everyone here!"

Cat and Lois looked at the box of ear buds left on the desk.

"Well, kid, time to earn your keep," Lois said.

"She wants us to ear plug all of the people in the office?" Cat asked.

"Yes, I guess, shouldn't be too hard," Lois said. The reporter allowed a shadow of a smile to cross her face. "We better stop Perry from embarrassing himself. The Daily Planet owner acting like a chicken is bound to pop up on YouTube."

* * *

Green Arrow, Supergirl, and Cheshire made their way to the source of the signal.

"Oh, by the way ,you're welcome for the heads up," Cheshire said. "Because if I didn't say anything, you would have been on the ground talking about evil waffles about as much as anyone else."

"They're talking about evil waffles?" Supergirl asked.

"Well, given they can't understand what they say about as much as anyone else, it shouldn't really matter," Green Arrow said. "So, are you sure it's here?"

"Yes, you're on the right track," Lara said.

The portable crystal connected to the fortress allowed Kara to track the strange energy signature. They were able to reconfigure high tech ear plugs to block out the sounds. Kara didn't have enough time to do so to all of Metropolis, but all could be ended, if they shut the little device down.

Black Canary and Red Arrow played traffic cop, getting as many earplugs as they could to people. Turpin and Sawyer received a set, which should make them valuable allies in helping keep the peace in Metropolis.

"So, we're going to need a door," Cheshire said. "Really…he set it up at the same place where he stole it from in the first place. I hate to say it, but I didn't expect him to go full circle."

"With the Joker, you have to expect the unexpected," Oracle said over the communication. "So, do you need me to find a security panel…."

"No bother, I'll find my own way in."

Artemis loaded up an arrow.

"Really, the boxing glove arrow?" Cheshire asked. "Out of all of the things you had to steal from him, you might have….."

The arrow fired at the door. The grooves in the fists connected with the door and blasted it off of its hinges. The entrance created cause Cheshire's protests about the absurdity of a boxing glove arrow to fade into nothingness.

"Okay, you've eased my doubts," Cheshire said.

Cheshire withdrew her blade. After the first round with the Joker, she prepared to kill him. Letting her guard down for someone like him was one of the biggest mistakes she could make. She spent a fair bit of time in Gotham City, she should have known.

"Bravo, you've found it."

Kara noticed the same robed figure. He raised his hands and started to clap slowly and obviously.

"You!" Kara yelled. "Desaad!"

Green Arrow and Cheshire both jumped up in surprise. The two of them must have met in the past.

"Yes, Supergirl, I'm pleased you remember me. Fear will grip the world, uncertainty will destroy everyone and….."

Kara zipped at Desaad and punched him in the face knocking him out with one punch.

"Good, I'm glad you shut him up," Cheshire said. "What is with villains who don't shut up?"

"You've noticed villains like to talk, now?" Green Arrow asked.

"I prefer to speak through my actions, "Cheshire said.

Kara's attention turned to the device. She needed to disable it and do it quickly before the entire city had been boned and not in the good way either.

"Okay, Lara, I need you know more than ever," Kara said.

"One moment please, I will run a scan through…this isn't good, "Lara said.

"What?" Kara asked.

"The device is rigged to explode, taking all of Metropolis with it," Lara said.

"Wonder if the Joker knows," Barbara said. "Well, if the Joker knows, I don't think he cares. He'd get the joke even if no one else did."

Kara fretted on what to do. She waited for Lara's input on the subject.

"I think we can disable it, but it's going to be really close," Lara said.

"Just tell me what to do, and I can do it," Kara said.

Desaad's eyes flickered open. He lifted his arm with a swollen face and a busted jaw.

Cheshire noticed him press a button on a box. A portal opened up and three figures exited the portal. A dark haired woman dressed in purple and red battle armor escorted them out of the portal. A redhead who towered over them at well over seven feet tall also joined them. She wore a skimpy green top and a tight pair of green shorts. A woman with wild blonde hair dressed in a skin tight white one piece which showed off her legs appeared.

Kara looked up suddenly. Cheshire and Green Arrow braced themselves for battle. The Girl of Steel needed to warn their allies what they were up against.

"The Female Furies are the most feared warriors in the universe," Kara said.

The tall redhead sent Cheshire flying into the wall. The assassin landed with a thud.

"I've noticed."

"Knockout, finish her," the leader of the Furies said.

"Right, Barda."

Knockout jumped into the air and tried to nail Cheshire. Artemis pulled her sister out of the way. She sent an arrow at Knockout. The arrow sent an electrified pulse at Knockout, stunning her, but it didn't take her out. It only served to heighten the anger of the powerhouse of a woman.

The clock ticked to explosion and Cheshire, Green Arrow, and Supergirl prepared to do battle with the Female Furies of Apokolips.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on October 23** **rd** **, 2015.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty: Deal with the Devil Part Three.**

* * *

Harley folded her arms in the makeshift jail cell in the lockup. Her night went from bad to worse. The first thing, some nut captured her in an attempt to leverage her for the Joker. Cheshire held her captive for some time, forcing Harley to be utterly humiliated. The woman mentally plotted her revenge, and if Harley had to say so, she could be pretty damn creative with her revenge when she wanted to be.

Of course, the night continued from there. It would have to be. Cheshire made her way out to take care of the Joker. The assassin bound Harley to a lamp post and forced her to be humiliated even more. The woman had a bondage fetish and one which Harley might have under any circumstances enjoyed.

To add more fuel to the fire or rather frustration to the fire, the police picked her up and put her downtown. Harley prepared to be transferred back to Arkham to do her time for her crimes. Talk about a homecoming, but not one she wanted to be involved with right now.

If only they could. The Joker activated the magical device and everything went nuts. Harley struggled to string together a coherent thought, more so than usual. The woman's head started to pound fiercely, assaulting the back of her head. Her breathing continued to get heavier.

The hinges of the police department doors blew off. Harley looked up with blurred vision. The Joker stepped in and stabbed one of the nearest guards in the chest.

Due to the madness, one of the cops started to do a jig. The Joker responded by mocking him by doing a jig of his own before stabbing the man in the gut.

A pair of keys dangled from the hand of the man. The Joker replaced the keys in his hand with a donut. The Clown Prince of Crime grabbed the keys and walked over to the cell where Harley sat.

The Joker considered his options for a long moment. The clown shrugged and placed the key into the cell lock. A turn of the lock clicked the cell open and swung it open.

The door opened and one Harley Quinn exited the cell. She looked around wildly in an attempt to keep her head above the ground. The Joker started to wave his hand in front of her face.

He pulled a pair of ear plugs from his pocket and slipped them into her ears.

"So, how are you?" Joker asked.

"Oh, thank you, Mistuh J, I knew you would come and save me!" Harley yelled.

"Yeah, don't get too happy, I only came here because it was on my way through the town," Joker said.

"What the hell is going on?" Harley asked.

"Hey, watch your language!" Joker snapped.

Harley hung her head in shame like a dog who had done its business on the rug.

"Sorry, Mistuh J," Harley said. "But, seriously, what is….."

"It's the other part of the device the hooded weirdo sent," Joker said. "It's caused everyone in Metropolis to go….."

Joker waved his finger around his head, showing Harley the international sign for "cuckoo". The Clown Prince of Crime walked out onto the streets, with Harley following him.

The crazed woman looked around, seeing the chaos. They also saw the Joker's boys rolling a dump truck full of stolen goods.

"Well, time to pack it in boys, we've had our fun," Joker said. "At least until tomorrow night."

"What are we doing tomorrow night?" Harley asked.

"The same thing we do every night, Pinky," The Joker said. "Try and take over the world!"

The Joker fished out the remote control so he could shut off the device remotely. He pressed the button. A message flashed on the display which caused the Joker to break out into even greater laughter. He started to wheeze when the message flashed into his eyes.

"Oh man, such a riot!" the Joker yelled. "We're all going to be screwed. I can't shut down the device remotely. Using my powers of deduction, it means we're all going to die!"

The Joker started to cackle like a mad man in response. Harley started to breath heavily and place her hands up. The madwoman's nails dug into her cheeks.

"WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? You don't….what…WHAT?"

"Yeah, apparently some weirdo in a hood screwed us over, who knew," Joker said. The clown prince of crime responded with a shrug. "I'd say live and learn, but we're not going to live for much longer to learn much at all. It's been a hell of a run, Harley. Can't say it's an honor, but we've had some laughs. And I'd always wanted a front row seat to a really big bang!"

Harley collapsed onto the ground and started to quiver like mad. The Joker bent down and grabbed Harley by the scruff of the neck.

"Oh, buck up, Harley, it's not going to be too bad," Joker said. "Death isn't going to hurt at all. Granted, I'm not an expert, having never technically died. And most of the people I killed screamed in agony. But, still, it's got to be white fluffy clouds from there! Or burning brimstone, but what do I know?"

* * *

Kara tried to disable the device and prevent her head from being taken off. The woman, Barda, the field leader of the Furies, showed herself to be a threat you needed to keep your eye on at all times.

She rushed Kara in an attempt to take her down. Kara avoided the attack and caused Barda to crash into a stack of crates.

"Let me guess, it didn't hurt her enough," Barbara said.

Kara pursed her lips and used her super breath to take Barda off guard.

"Okay, Kara, listen, I've found the signal, and you need to implement it, as soon as you can," Lara said.

"Right," Kara said. She sent a blast of heat vision, which caused a beam on the ceiling to crack, burying Barda in rubble. She somehow knew it wouldn't hold her for very long. "And how much time do we have left in all of this?"

"Seven minutes," Lara said.

"Talk about pressure," Kara said.

"Not to add onto the pressure, but you're going to run close to the clock to implement the code," Lara said.

Artemis fired an arrow over Kara's head and towards Barda. The arrow broke open on the ground to release a sticky looking foam which Barda struggled to pull herself up out of.

Gillotina swung a haymaker punch towards Artemis. The archer flipped over the top of her head. A punch and another punch blocked her attacks. The archer fired a series of arrows at her enemy. Every single arrow shot deflected off of her hands.

Artemis hoped for something more to pack a punch. The woman reached down and found the boxing glove arrow she used to open the door. Normally, she wouldn't reuse an arrow in battle. It seemed tacky.

In this case, Artemis planned to make an exception. She loaded the arrow and fired it at Gillotina. The arrow slammed into the woman's face, doubling her over in pain.

Cheshire swooped down, and kicked Knockout in the leg. She tried to take the legs out from underneath the much bigger woman. Knockout grabbed Cheshire around the scruff of the neck. The tall woman hurled her to the ground.

"You think you can defeat one of the mighty warriors of Apokolips!" Knockout yelled. She pumped her hands into the air and tried to slam them down onto the ground.

"I hoped I might be able to get the drop on you," Cheshire said. She avoided the punch slamming into the ground. "Guess it's a bit too much to hope for, isn't it?"

Knockout aimed a series of rapid fire punches. Cheshire dropped down, and hurled a shuriken at her. Knockout staggered back.

Kara implemented the code into the machine. Talk about the most finicky thing ever.

"Kara, hate to be a bother, but Barda is breaking out!" Artemis yelled.

Artemis tried to give Kara another hand, but Gillotina wrapped her arms around Artemis's neck. Artemis struggled.

"Fuck," Kara said. "Only about forty more digits to go as well….please, hold…"

Barda broke out of her cocoon and made her way over towards Kara. The leader of the Female Furies hurled a cinderblock over the top of her head and prepared to bring it down onto Kara's head.

A sickening whirl echoed through the air. The lights flickered and suddenly went completely black. Kara couldn't even see straight in front of her.

' _Now what?'_ Kara thought.

The sounds of battle echoed in the distance. Something happened and Kara didn't really know what happened. An inhumane scream echoed through the darkness.

The lights flickered back on in time for Kara to notice a pile of bodies in the middle of the floor. Someone wiped the Female Furies completely out, but who and how.

Kara continued to disarm the device. The timer ran down for the automatic detonation. Sweat rolled down her cheek as she punched every single number in. Almost had it, just a few more numbers, and Kara would….closer, closer yet. A few more, and she would….

"Okay, Kara, you can breathe down," Lara said. "The device is disarmed, you're done."

The two components in the device broke apart. The second the device busted apart, Cheshire made a beeline for the device. Her employers still wanted the device.

Artemis flew in front of Cheshire, knocking her to the ground. Cheshire and Artemis struggled on the ground.

Barda pulled herself to her feet, groaning. Something struck her in the back of the neck and dropped her to her knees. It hurt like hell, whoever did so, knew the right pressure point to hit. The woman leaned down and tried to rouse Knockout and Gillotina from their position.

"We need to leave, now," Barda said.

She activated a boom tube, allowing them passage from where they were. The three Furies disappeared into the night.

The sounds of sirens outside caused Kara to stand up straight for a second. Artemis lifted up Cheshire, as Kara took the two separated components to the device.

"I'll meet you back at the Penthouse," Green Arrow said.

"Right," Supergirl said.

The Girl of Steel flew up, up, and away. She needed to get the two components of the device as far away as possible, for the sake of her own sanity.

Tonight looked to be one of those nights, as far as she was concerned at any rate. Would it get even worse from here? Only time would tell.

* * *

"So, this is it, isn't it?" Cheshire asked. "You're going to turn me in, aren't you? Well, turning me into the police is going to not seal my fate, as much as Lian's….."

"Lian?" Artemis asked.

"My daughter, your niece," Jade said. "Five years old…..she was born around the same time I left the League."

The green-clad archer tried to process Jade casually dropping a bomb shell she had a daughter.

"It explains why you left the League," Artemis said. "But, it….well I guess it also explains why you were pulled back into the League, despite you swearing never to return."

"Clever, Artemis, you're extremely clever," Jade said. "You're smart, sometimes I'd say you're too smart for your own good. But yes, it explains it. And her father….well he won't do much good to protect her, because he only has one arm. And these people are ruthless killers."

"You should have come to me, Jade," Artemis said.

"Should I have?" Jade asked. "After all of the problems we had, do you really think I wanted to come to you?"

"We're still family," Artemis said. "You should have remembered….if you had trouble, I could have asked someone to help…"

"Yeah, I thought I could handle it," Jade said. "And now, I need your help, because they're not going to be happy I failed. I was supposed to kill you and I was supposed to get gold Kryptonite. And this is strike three, and I'm out of their favor. My daughter is….."

"I'll take care of it, Jade," Artemis said. "Rest now."

Jade bit her tongue, trying to tell her sister she couldn't rest, with her daughter. She decided to crash in the basement.

"And for the record, there's a cell right across the hallway I can put you here," Artemis said.

"As if you could get me in a cell," Jade said. She paused for a second and blinked. "Wait a minute, why is there a cell in the ground floor of a penthouse?"

"I'm in a penthouse which did belong to Oliver Queen," Artemis said.

"Forget it, I don't want to know, I don't even want to think about it," Jade said.

Artemis made her way upstairs. The moment she exited from her sister's line of sight, she winced. She got a hell of a beating out there to be honest tonight. Not so much her life sucked completely, but it sucked only partially.

Kara returned, dressed in a white top and a jean jacket, along with a pair of jeans which fit fairly nicely around her ass.

"I have a niece, and she'll now be targeted by the League," Artemis said. "Lian….I bet Roy is her father, you know, Roy Harper."

"Yes," Kara said. "And he might not do any good against a League attack….I'll be right back."

Artemis thought about walking over to the freezer and getting some ice to put on her shoulder. She found one problem. The woman really couldn't muster up the ability to get to her feet and walk over to the freezer.

' _Such is my life tonight.'_

She waited for Kara to return from whatever Kara was doing. Artemis tapped her foot. Her sister slept in the basement of her penthouse, and Artemis didn't know what to do with her from here. Jade wouldn't stay for long, and Artemis didn't want to fight her.

"I've made a couple of calls, and…..someone is going to keeping an eye on Harper and Lian….and yes Chloe verified Roy Harper as the Baby Daddy….which she apparently already knew."

"She knew, but she didn't tell me?" Artemis asked.

"You didn't ask," Kara said.

"Well, Harper's sex life really isn't high on my list of….priorities," Artemis said.

"Well, there are no better bodyguards than the Amazons," Kara said. "The League even will think twice rather than mess with them."

"So, you pulled some really good strings," Artemis said.

She winced as she moved in the wrong way. Kara pulled off her jacket and a bruise rose on her shoulder.

"You really got banged up," Kara said.

"Well, a little bit," Artemis said. "Furies pack a bit of a punch, you know."

"So, I heard," Kara said. She ran her hand all over Artemis's shoulder and started to rub it. "You need to relax though…..don't worry, I won't bite, at least not much."

Artemis rolled her eyes, staring at Kara.

"Really funny," Artemis said.

"I thought I was," Kara said.

Kara ran her hands all over Artemis's shoulder. Artemis rose to her feet and stripped off the top part of her costume. She shrugged off the pants, revealing a green bra and a lacy pair of green thong panties.

"I didn't peg as the type to wear anything underneath your costume….."

Artemis kissed Kara on the lips to shut her up. The archer placed her hands on Kara's back and started to massage her ass.

"Drop the pretext, and fuck me."

* * *

Jade watched form a crack in the doorway. If these were the type of parties her baby sister attended regularly, then maybe she would stick around a bit longer, to watch them.

The assassin wondered if a shower was nearby. She stole one final look, with Thea and Artemis cuddled up against Supergirl on the couch. A bound Black Canary rested on the floor, her eyes bugged out and drooling.

' _Good thing I didn't wear panties, they'd be ruined already.'_

* * *

"Okay, Lois, call me when you get a chance, when you get this message. I want to make sure everything's alright. I've had a really weird night so far."

From one Penthouse to another, Kara returned to the penthouse Helena gifted her. The Girl of Steel slipped a cell phone into her pocket. She turned on the light and speak of the devil, the one and only Helena Wayne sat at the table, arms folded. A cup of coffee already made.

"So, you are missing for four months, and you could be dead somewhere," Kara said. "And you just show up like you own the place."

Helena's stoic expression never faltered. Kara both had respect and agitation for the Wayne heiress, for a multitude of obvious reasons.

"I technically do own the place," Helena said.

Kara shrugged, she couldn't argue with the fact. The woman sat down on the table. She ignored the cup of coffee Helena slipped in front of her. Coffee often proved to be a worse Kryptonite for Kara than actual Kryptonite.

"Yes, well, I should thank you for bailing my ass out earlier," Kara said.

"I didn't," Helena said. "I've only been back in Metropolis for about an hour, and I arrived about twenty minutes before you did."

Helena's news caused Kara to raise her eyebrow. Confusion visited the Girl of Steel.

"Wait, so it wasn't you?" Kara asked. "You didn't do the, boom out go the lights thing, and out go the bad guys."

"I'm afraid I can't take any credit," Helena said. "Looks like you have a guardian angel on your side."

"You have a hunch, don't you?" Kara asked.

"Nothing, I can back up with evidence," Helena said.

Kara experienced a headache coming on in the back of her head. This time, Kara made a beeline straight for the coffee.

She stored the device back at the Fortress, at least until they could safely dispose of it in a more permanent way.

"So, what have I missed in the last four months?"

Kara raised her eyebrow and nearly laughed. She held herself back from laughing through the sheer force of self-control along with an honest to god miracle.

"How much time do you have?"

"Plenty," Helena said. "Spill."

Kara spilled alright.

* * *

Lois Lane thought about the long night which was. Well past Midnight by the time she finally returned home to her apartment. The one she shared with Claire for a couple of years.

Thoughts of Claire slipped Lois into a fairly dark frame of mind. The dark haired reporter clutched her fingers and groaned.

The moment she turned the corner, Lois stepped into your usual group of gang banging thugs. The reporter groaned the second she faced off against these goons.

"Seriously?" Lois asked. "I don't have time for this."

"Well, you're going to make time, princess," one of the goons said. He drew a switchblade.

"Yeah, you shouldn't be out here this late," another goon said. "If you didn't have time for this, you should have left the workplace earlier."

"Our skulls got cracked tonight because some psycho-clown, and we're going to take it out on someone, guess it's you, dame."

"Really, people still use the word dame in….well, whatever year we're in right now," Lois said.

One of the men grabbed Lois by the arm. She pulled away for a moment. Her press pass landed onto the ground.

"Hey, I know you," the goon said. "You're Lois Lane."

"You mean the reporter?"

"No, the porn star," one of the goons said.

"Man, she's hot, every day, I grease my hand, and….."

"No one wants to hear what you do in your spare time, Frankie. And you're in enough trouble after the incident with those girl scouts."

"Hey, they were asking for it," Frankie said. "Knocking on my door at all hours of the day, trying to sell me cookies, gave them something to really chew on."

"You sick bastard," Lois said.

"What, I punched them in the mouth," Frankie said. "What did you think I did, you dirty minded bitch?"

"Hey, Lane, now I remember you. She's the bitch who did the expose on the plant, cost me my job. My wife left me for another woman, my children decided to run off and join a cult, and I lost my house, my bike, and my computer."

"Didn't you blow all of your savings from gambling?"

Lois took advantage of the bickering thugs by sending her knee into the nuts of one of the goons. The goon doubled over with a groan.

"Wrong move, bitch!"

Lois struggled to fight against all of them. At least to the point where one of them nailed her with a baseball bat, dropping her to the ground.

"Shouldn't have walked around town like this with such a short skirt either."

The street lamps broke and a sound of the thugs being attacked allowed Lois some relief. Lois pulled herself to her hands and knees. A figure moved into the darkness.

Someone opened the front door, at the sounds of battle. An older gentlemen in one of the apartments noticed Lois down on the ground, bleeding from the back of her legs. The goons on the ground slumped over, lumps on their head. The thug who put his hands on her laid on the ground, his neck bent at an awkward angle, neck obviously snapped.

"Hang on, young lady, I'll go call the police…..do you need any help?"

Lois couldn't really think straight. She thought she saw something in the moonlight, before she disappeared into the shadows.

"Smallville?"

Lois passed out from the trauma.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on October 27** **th** **, 2015.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One: Gearing Up.**

* * *

Kara groaned the second she heard the news. Granted, she wasn't really surprised by the news she heard, given Lois's ability to get herself into trouble.

' _I swear, if Lois didn't have bad luck, she'd have no luck at all.'_

Kara brushed her hair out of her eyes and exited the elevator leading up to the floor of the hospital. The young girl crossed the pathway and strolled up towards another figure who waited at the end of the hallway.

Chloe looked up, seeing Kara approach her.

"Just when you think the day you've been having couldn't get any longer…."

Kara crossed the hallway. She lifted herself on the balls of her feet. The woman's heart skipped a couple of beats.

"So, how is Lois doing?" Kara asked.

"Well, I don't know," Chloe said. She tried to keep calm under the obvious pressure she experienced."She got a bit of a bump on her head according to the doctors. The thugs are pretty much worse though."

"How so?" Kara asked.

"Well, a couple of them didn't quite make it to the hospital. A couple of them made their way to the morgue."

Kara wondered what the hell happened. Her mind worked into overdrive in a desperate attempt to make sense of all of the insanity. Lois getting mugged, and her savior caused more questions. Was someone behind this entire mess? Kara didn't really know.

"I'm pretty sure this was an act of random violence," Chloe said.

"Are you really sure?" Kara asked.

Chloe answered with a momentary shrug. She shook her head.

"Well, I'm about ninety five percent sure," Chloe said. "I think it's best if we ask Lois."

Almost as if on cue, the doctor made her way outside of the hospital room.

"She's ready to see you, but please don't do anything to upset her, or anything," the doctor said.

Chloe's lips curled into a frown. The perky blonde placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder and leaned towards her.

"Word of advice, doc…we're talking about my cousin. If she's confined to a bed, chances are nothing I'm going to say or do, is going to upset her, more than her being laid up. I about bet she already started to argue with you, and yell at you and tell you she's fine, and you don't know what you're talking about….feel free to stop me if I'm wrong."

The doctor sighed.

"She did all those things, didn't she?" Kara asked. "I'm a friend of the family."

"Well, you can see her right now, just don't try and get her riled up too much," the doctor said.

Again, Chloe frowned. The woman believed they reached the point of no return regarding Lois being riled up. Lois would do what Lois did. It's hard not to upset someone like her.

Regardless, Chloe entered the room. Lois sat up, with her eyes on Chloe.

"So, I'd ask you how you're feeling…."

"I'd feel a lot better if I wasn't in the hospital bed," Lois said.

Chloe expected the grumbling come from Lois, and almost embraced it in some weird way.

"Which is why I didn't ask you how you were feeling," Chloe said. "You really were bad when you were sick….."

"I'm not sick, just a couple of assholes got the better of me, and I should have kept my eye on the ball," Lois said. "It isn't the first time I got jumped. It's just…most of the time, I come out on top, as opposed to feeling like I should be on the bottom."

Lois guessed she spent a fair amount of time relying on Claire and later Kara, bailing her out of trouble. Her self-defense skills showed to be good, but they might lead to a little bit fine-tuning.

"So, do you know what happened?" Chloe asked.

Lois cringed as she heard the grating voice of Leslie Willis going over the radio.

"And all of the good citizens in Metropolis should be out to support the anti-Vigilante task force, as we prepare to bring down Supergirl once and for all…."

"Could you please turn to something else?" Lois asked.

"It would be a pleasure," Kara said.

Kara made her way over to the radio. The less she heard of Willis, the less anyone heard of Willis, the better off they would be.

"So, anyway, before the Queen of the Loud Mouths interrupted me, I was knocked out in the alleyway, and pretty much in a bad situation," Lois said. "And then, I was saved."

"By who?" Kara asked.

"I thought I saw her," Lois said. "It was only for a moment, but I saw her. I couldn't believe it, maybe the thug rattled me harder than I thought."

Chloe lifted her hand up in response. Lois's mouth snapped shut for a moment.

"Well if the thug didn't hit you too hard, given you're still rambling way too much."

Lois folded her arms and stuck out her lip in a pout.

"Who saved you Lois?" Kara asked.

"Claire, it was her, she's back," Lois said. An unsettling silence followed Lois's declaration. The silence annoyed Lois far more than startled reaction would. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Maybe not, there was someone who turned off the lights and helped us against the Female Furies," Kara said. "And Helena said she didn't get into town until after the fact."

"Helena might know a bit more than meets the eye," Chloe said.

Kara snorted, Chloe really spoke the obvious somethings.

' _Going to have to get to the bottom of this. And since I'm meeting Diana and Helena for breakfast, there's no better time than the present.'_

* * *

A few hours later, after visiting for Lois, Kara made her way to the café. After exchanging pleasant greetings with Diana and Helena, the three of them sat down.

"So, you want to tell me what's been going on with Claire, and have you had any leads about her?" Kara asked.

Helena thought it would be prudent to tell the entire story from the top. Would lead to less questions if she tackled the problem for this reaction.

"After the incident with the Black Kryptonite where Claire left, I searched for her," Helena said. "Her trail brought me all over the country through several points."

"I searched down several leads all over the world as well," Diana said. "But I haven't had any better luck than Helena did. It was almost like she fell off the face of the Earth."

"Or, she had some allies in helping her hide," Helena said.

The dark cryptic tone of Helena's statement was one Kara didn't really like. The foreboding tone caused Kara's tension to increase by another degree.

"She's back," Kara said. "There's plenty of evidence she's back."

"Yes, we know," Diana said. "Your little encounter last night, proves about as much, doesn't it?"

Kara placed her hand underneath her chin, tilted her head back, and gave a long sigh.

"More than just the encounter last night," Kara said. "She may have been the one to put out the lights. And she most certainly saved Lois from the attack."

Helena nodded in response.

"Yes, I heard about Lois being attacked," Helena said. "Although, I had been distracted with the incident with the Furies, and couldn't really figure out any particulars."

"Well, both of the incidents are proof she's back in town," Kara said. "The real question is why hasn't she told anyone she's in town? Claire isn't the type to do the smoke and mirrors act."

Diana extended her arm across the table and touched the top of Kara's hand. Kara closed her eyes, flinching underneath Diana's touch for a half of a second.

"She normally isn't," Diana said. "But, a lot has changed, hasn't it? She's changed a whole lot. She's not the same Claire you knew before losing her powers. And let's face it, in the months leading up to losing her powers, it was one unfortunate event after another."

"Claire losing her powers was just the icing on the cake," Helena said.

Kara recalled as much. The misfortune of the Justice League, before they broke up, became one after another. If she didn't know any better, Kara thought someone put a curse on the League. The attacks on the League were well calculated and the destruction they experienced were extremely immense.

"Yes, it didn't help her mental state," Kara said. "Just like….."

"Remember, you couldn't help what you did underneath the Black Kryptonite," Diana said.

"Diana, I know you're trying to make me feel better, and I appreciate it, I really do," Kara said. "The Black Kryptonite brought out the darker impulses inside me. They were always there, it's just, they never came out."

Kara took a long drink of her juice and frowned. She really wished everything would turn out for the better and maybe in time, it would turn out for the better. Right now, she stood on the precipice of doing something really insane. And by really insane, she meant really insane. She clutched her hands together in the deepest of thought.

"I'm in Metropolis because of the other problem you encountered last night," Helena said. "The Joker, he still lives. I hoped he perished against my father in their final battle."

"We couldn't be as fortunate," Kara said.

"My father had many chances to take down the Joker for once and for all," Helena said. "The code of conduct he created years ago prevented him from taking the Joker down properly. Even though, with each passing year, it became harder to difficult."

"I can't believe someone as dangerous as him exists," Diana said.

"Believe it," Helena said.

The fact she wondered if the Joker could be killed. Conflicting results of his origin story made her wonder if there was anything before the Joker. The Joker existed in the world.

"I guess the gang is almost back together," Kara said.

"In pieces, maybe," Helena said. "At least, I'll stand by you and give you all of the help you need."

Kara took a long drink. She appreciated everything Helena did, but another question visited her.

"What about Claire?"

Helena's expression shifted into one of darkness. Kara shivered at the look she received. The woman's expression often grew extremely scary at the worst possible times.

"Don't worry about Claire," Helena said. "She'll come to everything. You should sleep a lot easier knowing she's out there. And you have far more pressing matters to worry about then your cousin. She's better trained now."

"But has she found a way to return her powers?" Kara asked.

"I couldn't tell you," Helena said.

"We'll run into her sooner or later," Diana said. "And when we do, she hopefully will have some answers for us."

Kara didn't say anything, but she wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of Diana's gaze when she declared answers were important.

* * *

"So, I know I should give Claire some space. But I'd figure after all of this time, she'd give me a sign she's okay, and not stick to the shadows. And I'm really curious if she regained her powers. And if she didn't, what's going on. How much training has she had? I hate being left in the dark, but she has a bad habit of leaving anyone in the dark."

Kara took in a deep breath and concluded her rant. A smile crossed Lara's holographic image in the Fortress.

"Sorry, Aunt Lara, but I really needed to let some steam off."

"Yes, I noticed. Now take a deep breath and calm yourself. Working yourself up into a frenzy isn't going to do you any good."

Kara blinked and sat down. She relaxed herself after some time. Easier said than done, she thought, but she'd give it the old college try.

"Her disappearing into the shadows without a word is pulling a page out of the Bat playbook," Kara said. "It isn't like her, all of the stealth, I mean."

"For the record, Claire hasn't been back by the Fortress, yet," Lara said.

"Because, you'd tell me the second she showed back up, if she showed back up."

"Yes, I would," Lara said. "It really tells me she hasn't received her powers back yet, if she hasn't showed back at the Fortress."

Kara conceded to her aunt's words and nodded.

"But your cousin isn't the only problem you have to deal with."

The Girl of Steel threw back her head, crossed her arms, and groaned in response. If Claire had been the only problem she had, Kara thought she would be in a lot better shape. Sadly though, she wasn't in too much better shape.

"You ran into the Female Furies," Lara said.

"Yes," Kara said. "I don't know why they popped up now of all times. Isn't their leader, indisposed?"

"The status of Darkseid hasn't changed at all," Lara said. "But, his agents moving around could be a threat, and one we're going to have to deal with if they become more active."

"Claire showed up, and she defeated three Female Furies," Kara said. "I know, everything comes back to my cousin."

"She must have received some training," Lara said. "Granted, she did have the ability to learn without her powers, but she focused on using her powers like a hammer, as opposed to a more refined tool."

Kara's lips curled into a smile, if not a weak one. Lara's assessment of her cousin's powers proved to be spot on.

"Desaad has been working with Intergang, and he's….well I guess he sort of worked with the Joker," Kara said. "Granted, the Joker looked to be the dupe in the situation as well."

"From what I've been told about this Joker, he doesn't take being the dupe too kindly at all," Lara said.

Kara sighed, her aunt made the understatement to end all understatements. The Joker absolutely despised being the dupe of any kind. He always manipulated people and not the other way around. Kara shook her head for a second to return herself back to a sense of sanity.

"I'm a bit intimidated by him having access to these kind of weapons," Kara said. "He'll blow up an entire city to make himself smile."

"He'd be the type to be exiled into the Phantom Zone," Lara said.

"I guess," Kara said. She wasn't sure if the Joker should even be sent into the Phantom Zone. She wasn't sure if the Phantom Zone could contain his unique brand of insanity.

And speaking of unique brands of insanity, Kara needed to be leaving. Chloe asked her to help her cover the Leslie Willis benefit.

"Desaad and the Furies might be the harbinger to a greater alien invasion," Lara said. "I'd suggest we coordinate a plan."

"The League used to be perfect for these types of things," Kara said. "But it isn't like the League is around anymore."

"Maybe not," Lara said. "But, if I know you, Kara, you're the type who can adapt to any situation. You'll figure out a way to defeat the Furies, and bring down whatever plan."

Kara appreciated the confidence boost. Last night didn't go too badly, okay she defused the weapon. If it wasn't for Claire's intervention, she, Cheshire, and Artemis would have been stomped into a fine paste by the Female Furies.

* * *

"Are you ready to support some really good people? Are you ready to rock?"

Chloe looked up into the sky and storm clouds started to roll in above her.

' _I hate to rain on your parade, Willis, but I think Mother Nature is about ready to rain on your parade.'_

A short distance away from Chloe, Dan Turpin and Maggie Sawyer stood. Turpin looked like the child who had been dragged along to some kind of family outing he wanted no part of.

"I can't believe you dragged me into this."

"We have to be here, for a unified front," Maggie said. "Looks like she's going to get cut off."

A stage hand made his way up to the stage, and started relaying something to Willis. Neither Turpin nor Sawyer could make out what he said, but Willis's snappy response could be heard by all.

"No, no, no, I'm not stopping my show for anyone!" Willis snapped.

The angry woman spoke up, puffing her chest up in indignation. A flash of lightning erupted across the sky.

"She's nuttier than a box of fruitcakes," Turpin said.

Maggie thought Turpin's analogy, as it often was, proved to be rather apt.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, let's get on with the show, and show our support, so one day the skies will be Supergirl free!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to interrupt your regularly scheduled programming!"

The Joker's image flickered onto the Jumbotron. The Clown Prince of Crime's grin flashed over them all and he looked to be in boisterous spirits.

"Well, you have some kind of benefit, and you're trying to put across Supergirl and the other capes more dangerous than moi! Talk about running up to someone with a steel toe boot and kicking them straight in the nuts!"

The Joker laughed at his own joke.

"Steel toe boot to the nuts, now there's a punchline. But, anyway ,you got to learn to play by the rules. Where's my press, Willis? You're talking about Supergirl, but not talking about all of the culture I've brought this city, which has been lacking it since Lexy bought the big one. Whatcha talking about, Willis?"

The Joker cackled at his own joke. The members of Intergang turned up to stir the population into more panic.

Kara showed up at Chloe's shoulder and backed off instantly into the chaos.

' _Of course, this benefit would be the target of lunatics. And the number one lunatic showed up.'_

A hell of a storm kicked up, and the Intergang goons made their way to the special task force. The task force aimed their weapons at Intergang, but ran into a nasty surprise. Namely the fact Intergang curb stomped them like it was no one's business. The Intergang goons landed onto the ground with a solid crunch.

Their weapons proved to be no match for anything the Joker threw at them. The task force showed up.

One of them aimed a weapon at Willis. A blur shot out of mid-air and nailed the Intergang goon in the face, knocking him down. He spiraled to the ground, crashing down like a puppet getting his strings snapped.

"Wait, you save the bitch who has been mocking you," Joker said. The clown broke out into an insane fit of laughter, rocking back and forth like a hyena on crack. "Okay, that's pretty funny!"

Kara ignored the words of the Joker. She started to attack one of the goons with a rapid fire series of punches, doubling over the Intergang goon.

Her punches knocked the wind out of the Intergang goon, but he still was heavily armored. Kara grabbed onto the armor and ripped it from his body. Kara slammed the weapon into the chest of the goon.

One of the rifles broke open, and sent the Kryptonite power source in the middle of the entangled wires off of the stage.

"Don't just fly there like an idiot, save me! Look at Supergirl, grandstanding, when she should be saving me!"

Kara was really tempted to leave Intergang to have their way with Willis, but she'd end up having her hero card revoked. The Girl of Steel groaned as she flew into her enemy at the speed of light, knocking the goon for a loop with a super powered gut punch.

The wind storm increased. Seconds later, lightning struck one of the pieces of equipment, knocking it over.

Willis had the sense to move, but unfortunately, she landed off of the stage, entangled in the wires.

"SUPERGIRL, THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"

The lightning continued to crack in the background. Willis tried to untangle herself from the electric wires.

Supergirl flew down at the speed of light, trying to life Willis out of there.

A bolt of lightning struck Supergirl in the back. She winced as the lightning fried a hole through the back of her cape.

The lightning channeled through her, and also caused the Kryptonite beat her to become super charged. The radiation caused Leslie to scream. The Kryptonite exploded, with a shard connecting to the side of Kara's face, opening up a cut.

Leslie Willis's body twitched, sending sparks everywhere. Her skin turned even more pale, to the point where it looked almost chalk white. Her hair turned blue from the explosion, and her pupils dilated.

Kara touched her, her skin crinkling underneath Kara's touch.

"Stand back!" she yelled.

Supergirl tried to get Willis out of there. She needed medical attention. The close proximity of the Kryptonite combined with the electricity made Kara wonder what her fate was.

Regardless, she trafficked her out of there as fast as she could fly.

* * *

Leslie Willis screamed in agony, the pain shooting through her nerve endings almost too unbearable to even describe.

"SUPERGIRL! SUPERGIRL! ALL YOUR….SUPERGIRL!"

Her body continued to twitch, before she finally faded into a catatonic state. Patricia turned to Kara from behind a thick wall and turned back to the patient.

"The sedative is finally starting to take effect," Patricia said.

"And not a second too soon," Kara said.

Both of them turned back to look at Leslie Willis. Her body mutated. Sickening chalk-white skin appeared on her and her hair turned blue. Her eyes turned a sinister shade of blue. The mutation left her with a fairly curvy figure, which she didn't have before. Then again, given most of the clothes she wore happened to be of the fashion disaster category, who could tell?

"She won't be the first meteor mutant we took in, but she might be the most belligerent. We're going to have to treat her as soon as possible….and we're going to have to take a look at you, the cut looks nasty."

Patricia cupped her hand on Kara's cheek. Kara frowned and allowed Patricia to lead her off to treat her. She yawned.

"I don't know why I'm so tired," Kara said.

"Another reason why I should take a closer look at you, I believe," Patricia said.

A third party greeted them when Patricia escorted Kara to a second part of the medical bay.

"So, I picked a hell of time to come back to work, didn't I?"

* * *

 **To Be Continued on October 30** **th** **, 2015.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Sparks of Vengeance Part One.**

* * *

Caitlin Snow stepped into the scene wearing a white jacket, a black top, and a pair of blue jeans. She hadn't changed into a more work appropriate attire. Her eyes fixated on Patricia and Kara as they made their way up the hallway. She noticed Kara looked a bit worn out and tired from what happened.

The two spoke in a low voice. Caitlin leaned her neck to the side and looked over them. They caught each other's eyes.

"So, I guess I picked a hell of a day to come back to work."

Patricia looked at her colleague and her friend with a frown. She might have said the understatement to end all understatements. Her gaze located onto Caitlin's as she waved over the young woman.

"Yes, you did," Patricia said. Regardless, the scientist smiled and leaned closer towards Caitlin. "But all things considered, I'm glad to have the extra help."

"So what happened?" Caitlin asked.

"Well, Leslie Willis, you know who I'm talking about right…."

"You mean the loud mouth who has an anti-superhero bias?" Caitlin asked.

"Yes, her," Kara said. She offered a weak smile. It became hard for her to stand, but she just about managed it. "She did a benefit concert out in the middle of a lightning storm to support the Metropolis Major Crimes Unit."

"Out in the middle of the lightning storm?" Caitlin asked.

"Yes, and she paid for it," Kara said. "Intergang showed up, and well, I did as well. Then I tried to rescue her from some cables on the stage. Both of us got struck by lightning."

"Well, you should be okay, with lightning, right?" Caitlin asked.

The lack of certainty on Kara's face forced Caitlin to reevaluate her ideas on what fine might be. The blonde's worn out expression caused Caitlin's breath to be hitched into her.

"Normally, not," Kara said. "But, there was something down in the cables when the lightning struck us. Kryptonite."

Caitlin frowned at the thought of the Kryptonite down there. She had a question for Kara.

"I thought you were fine with Kryptonite. You have shields."

"Well, I won't keel over because of the radiation if you mean. But, if there are other factors, Kryptonite can affect me. If someone gets it into my blood stream, it can hurt me."

"If broken kryptonite gets into the blood stream of a normal person, it can affect them as well," Patricia said. She escorted Kara behind the barrier. "Just sit still for a minute, and I'll figure out what's wrong with you."

Kara sat down for a moment. She waited for Patricia to perform the scans.

"I've never felt this tired," Kara said.

"The Kryptonite combined with the lightning must have brought you down to a more mortal level, temporary," Caitlin said. "Not enough to strip you of your powers, but still, enough to hurt you."

Granted, Caitlin thought it was a shot in the dark more than anything. She'd imagine she walked on the right track.

"You're at sixty two percent of your overall power capacity," Patricia said. "Just sit here and the scan will run even more. I have to check Ms. Willis."

Despite Willis's being the type of shock jock Patricia would have liked to throw off the air, she still had a responsibility to treat her.

Caitlin pulled out a seat in front of the room and sat down.

"They told me I was ready," Caitlin said.

"But, you're not sure?" Kara asked.

Caitlin hesitated for a second, shaking her head after a long moment's pause.

"I want to be back to work," Caitlin said. "And I have better control over my abilities, it's just….I don't know."

Kara instinctively reached through the barrier of the room to grab Caitlin's hand. The barrier rippled and Kara pushed the hand back.

"Just take it one day at a time," Kara said. "You have your head on straight….."

Patricia returned from down the hallway. She finished giving the instructions to the lab technicians from further down the hallway. The woman's shoulders slumped and looked a bit grim.

"So, any good news for once about Willis?" Kara asked.

"I'm not sure if she'll ever be the same again," Patricia said. "When I keep her overnight for observation, I'll have a bit better idea."

Kara realized she shouldn't feel bad for what happened to the women. If she blamed herself for the stupidity of other people, she'd be blaming herself for a lot.

Now, Kara waited with her arms folded.

"Don't worry, they'll be done in a moment," Patricia said. "I don't think you have any long term damage, but better to be safe than sorry."

Kara grudgingly agreed with the point. She'd rather be safe than sorry indeed and make sure no long term damage occurred. The last thing she needed was any Kryptonite based damage. The fun and games resulting from the exposure from the Black Kryptonite resounded most in Kara's mind.

* * *

Those who were a part of the Metropolis MCU found themselves facing a very familiar scene. Their supervisor bearing down on Dan Turpin, but Turpin gave about as well as he received. His eyes stared down at the supervisor, not backing off, and not cowering down at the man in question.

"What were you thinking out there? You had the perfect chance to bring Supergirl down? We could have gotten the Mayor off of our backs. Do you realize he's threatening to cut our funding if we don't get results?"

"Well, look here, boss man, I was trying to keep a bunch of people from freaking out. In case you couldn't see it from your ivory tower, us people in the real world after deal with some nutcase from Gotham. And he's playing for keeps. And if the Mayor didn't have his own head up his ass, he would know all of this!"

The supervisor stared down Turpin. The two of them looked into each other's eyes.

"Turpin, you're out of line," the supervisor said.

"Oh, I'm out of line, or the only one in this department who has the balls to say what's really going on," Turpin said. The man was on a role and decided to go for broke."And the Mayor, he's just pissed because he doesn't have Luthor and his money to kiss him goodnight!"

"Turpin, you're out of line, you were the senior officer on the case, it was your responsible to bring down Supergirl," the inspector said.

The inspector had no problems with Supergirl, personally, but the law he upheld did not speak too kindly on vigilantes.

"And you still don't get it," Turpin said. "The most obvious threat was the Joker and Intergang. Intergang who still have those sci-fi weapons. But, the MCU and the anti-vigilante task force are too distracted by the capes and thus they do everything between jack and shit to get involved. You know, if you think it's so easy to bring someone down someone as powerful as Supergirl, then you can haul your ass out from behind the desk and do it yourself."

The inspector snapped his eyes towards Turpin with the eyes.

"You're suspended without pay pending an investigation on your conduct."

"Oh, really, you're going to suspend me?" Turpin asked. "Because, I'll just do you a favor, I'm going to quit right here and now. Never thought the MCU would be this down in the shitter! This is more corrupt than Gotham! Well, you don't need me!"

Turpin hurled the badge down on the desk, nearly striking the inspector in the chest. He turned around and stormed off in a bit of a huff.

"Turpin, you don't turn your back on me!"

Maggie, who had been rather quiet at the moment, looked up at the Inspector.

"I don't know what you expected when you started to read him the riot act."

The Inspector knew what to expect. The Mayor wanted someone's head to roll because of this, and the Inspector knew if he didn't want the Mayor to bring in one of his flunkeys to do the job, it would have to be him for a replacement.

"Sawyer, you should have done something as well," the Inspector said.

"Looks like the Mayor is going to have to answer to some people sooner rather than later," Maggie said. She looked calm, but a warning tone went in her eyes. "I'd hate to be the person around when he gets called out on the carpet for his obsession with Supergirl."

The Inspector looked down at the cup of coffee, wishing it was something a tad bit stronger. His breathing turned rather ragged as he studied the contents in the cup of coffee, frowning extremely deeply.

' _Wish I didn't have this job.'_

"Sawyer, take a couple of days off," The Inspector said. "A couple of weeks off."

"Is it your tactful way of saying you're suspending me too without pay?" Maggie asked.

"You shouldn't be around when the Mayor is on the warpath," the Inspector said. "Let, the Mayor assume what he wants to assume."

With any luck, he'll lose the election. Sadly, he seemed to be the favorite to win, barring a severe calamity. No one else stood up to him.

Maggie understood the hint. She rose to her feet, turning around and walking out. If she had any luck, she might be able to catch Turpin before he walked off completely.

Turned out Turpin paced around outside of his car for a moment.

"Figured you'd be booted out of the door next to me," Turpin said.

"You realize this isn't the first time you stormed out and quit."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Turpin said. The veteran cop hung his head and grumbled. "Can't believe the utter circus this department has become."

Turpin turned around to the car.

"Just trying to do the right thing out there, but it's apparently a bad thing in the city," Turpin said. "Since when have the higher ups turned into Gotham City?"

"I wouldn't say everything is that bad," Maggie said.

Turpin sighed. He wondered if he should just pack it in. Someone of his caliber wasn't really needed anymore. It seemed like as far as a police officer was concerned, he looked more like a liability than anything else.

* * *

Kara sat on the bench for the next round of tests. She wore nothing, but a red bra and panties. Caitlin walked around her, feeling her body to make sure there was no bruising.

"You know, if you wanted to get me into my bra and panties, there are far easier ways."

Caitlin flushed for a moment, but she recovered with a quick smile.

"Good to see you're in a good mood," Caitlin said. "But, Doctor Swann wants me to check you out in costume."

"I only wearing anything underneath my clothes when I'm in costume," Kara said. "So, if I wasn't in costume when I came here, things might have gotten a bit more interesting, wouldn't you think?"

Caitlin's lips curled into a frown. She really did want a definition of what Kara thought was interesting. Regardless she kept feeling her hand over Kara, frowning as she worked her up.

"Yes, I guess you're right," Caitlin said with a shadow of a smile crossing her face. "So, how have you been holding up?"

"About as well as can be expected," Kara said. "I feel a little bit better now, but it could be because of a hot scientist running her hands all over my body. Are you sure this is a standard test?"

"Doctor Snow, I think we've adequately figured out she's one hundred percent."

"Actually, seventy two percent, according to your meter," Kara said. She double checked the readings and smiled. "Providing it's accurate….."

Caitlin backed off at Patricia's words. Patricia leaned forward and looked at Kara.

"If I'm done, I'll put some clothes on, so things are less awkward. My Supergirl outfit is damaged beyond belief, but….."

"I've got a spare change of clothes in my office, if you need to borrow something," Caitlin said.

"Determined for me to get into your pants?" Kara asked.

Caitlin flushed for a moment, but smiled.

"Oh, believe me, I think I should have no problem with getting you into my pants. You are rather popular with the women around here. Third door to your right."

Kara grinned and sped off to get an extra change of clothes.

"Caitlin, we need to remain professional," Patricia said.

"Hey, if she dishes it out, I'm not going to just stand there and take it," Caitlin said. "Besides, all of the times she flew up to your office, I'm really surprised nothing has happened between you two."

"You would be, wouldn't you?"

Patricia placed her hand underneath her chin and sighed.

"The truth is, I'm sure people are talking about myself and Kara, and she does come up to my office a lot," Patricia said. "She hasn't been up here in a while though."

"Sorry, been busy."

Kara returned, dressed in a night tight black shirt and a pair of matching blue jeans. They looked a little snug on her, but they would have to do.

"I'll go and repair your costume," Patricia said.

"You can repair her costume?" Caitlin asked.

"I have the facilities down here, all of the times Superwoman has been by the lab," Patricia said.

Patricia wished she had the capabilities to repair Superwoman, but easier said than done she thought.

"My cousin's back in town."

Patricia's eyebrow rose. She didn't really mean to pry, but really, after such a statement, how could one be anything but curious?

"Oh, and have you talked to her?"

"No, I haven't talked to her," Kara said. Frustration filled the face of the Girl of Steel. Patricia reached over to grab her hand. "She came in, when I had some problems with some enemies, and she left before I had a word with her. She was gone for over six months, and….not a word when she came back."

"Do you think she found a way to get her powers back?" Caitlin asked.

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the people she would have went to, if she did," Patricia said.

Patricia's guilt racked her body. She failed at her final promise to her late father to do what she could to protect the Traveler at all costs. It was hard to protect the Traveler when the Traveler disappeared into the night in a flash or a blur.

"We'll find out what she's up to, and try and get some answers," Caitlin said.

"Thanks for informing us Claire's back in town," Patricia said.

She placed Kara's costume through the invention created. The fabrics stitched together.

"Thankfully, there's a machine which can do this, because my sewing is completely awful."

The machine stitched the pieces of fabric together. Patricia smiled as she looked it over.

"You'll be ready in about twenty minutes," Patricia said.

"The question is, am I really ready?" Kara asked.

Caitlin jumped in to answer Kara's question.

"I'd say you're pretty close to a hundred percent. I wouldn't get struck by any lightning until you're completely healed. Especially if you get struck by lightning around pieces of Kryptonite. Which still seem to be easier to get ahold of than paper."

Patricia shook her head. STAR and Wayne tried their best to gather up all of the pieces of Kryptonite on Earth. Lex had his own stash, and after he died, the stash of Kryptonite turned up missing, with several pieces ending up on the black market. Tracking them all doubt was a needle in a haystack.

The lights in the building started to flicker. Patricia didn't really pay this fact much mind, the lights in these old buildings flickered a lot.

* * *

Leslie Willis woke up in a start. She found herself strapped to a bed. A heart monitor stood by her side.

' _I'm here, and I'm trapped….need power….need lots of power to get out of here.'_

"Ms. Willis, you're awake."

"Yes," she said.

Her voice echoed, giving a feedback loop. It hurt a little bit to talk, her vocal cords turned raw.

The woman recalled in her mind how Supergirl pushed her away from Intergang. She recalled how, jealous of the attention Leslie received, Supergirl pushed her off of the stage. In an attempt to finish her off, but Leslie was still breathing and she would gain a measure of revenge against the superpowered woman who tried to kill her.

"I'm awake, and I'm going to get payback!"

An arch of electricity shot into the air, and caught the doctor. The doctor screamed in agony when the woman electrocuted him.

"Finally, I'm going to get out of here," Leslie said. She yanked the strap, causing it to snap back with a slight amount of give. "Finally, I'll be free!"

She shouted the last word in triumph. The atoms in her body super charged and melted the strap, and the bed around her.

Leslie rolled over onto the floor, shedding a hospital gown.

"Wow, I've gotten hotter," Leslie said. "So, I'll be quick about demolishing the Brat of Steel!"

Patricia made her way down the hallway, and a jolt of energy spiked through the floor. She backed off and noticed a woman appearing in the hallway. The black one piece hugged her body. Her black hair sparked wildly. Her glowing silver eyes looked up with malice. Her chalk-white skin glowed. The woman took a step.

' _How in the hell did she break out from her containment room?'_

"Perfect, bait for a Supergirl trap!"

"Leslie, listen to me, you're very sick, let me….."

"Sick, no, I feel good, great!" Leslie yelled. "I have so much energy, why, I'm overflowing iwht it now. How can I be sick?"

Leslie raised her hand. Sparks shot from her hand and a beam of electricity shot from her hand.

A wall of ice rose up from the ground and blocked the bolt from connecting. The bolt shattered the ice, and caused water to fly in every direction when it melted.

Leslie suffered a moment of discomfort, but she stuck her finger into the light socket, drying more power from the grids.

Caitlin stood behind Patricia.

"We need to leave."

Supergirl, now in her costume, flew at the speed of light, and punched Willis in the face. Willis flipped over onto the ground, crashing down hard.

"It's rude to punch someone when they're eating."

Two lightning bolts shot through the air. The first one, Kara dodged with no problems. The second one arched off the ceiling and caught her in the stomach. Agony racked through Kara's body and she dropped down to the ground.

"Behold the might of me, behold the might of Livewire!"

Kara groaned, ignoring the burns on her stomach.

' _Great, she named herself. Wonderful even, she's so far gone.'_

Kara noticed the sprinkler systems above. She squinted her eyes, and fired heat vision around the floor, creating a ring of hot fire.

"You're really not bright, are you, Supergirl?" Livewire asked. "You can't aim right, and fire won't hurt me."

"Three, two, one….."

The sprinkler systems in STAR labs started to shoot water down. Livewire screamed in agony when the water hit her. She backed off, her body sending sparks in every direction.

An open window proved to be her road out of her. Livewire smashed her way through the window, converting into pure energy.

The woman road down a power line out of STAR Labs.

Kara slumped against the wall. The electricity burns on her body started to heal, even though it hurt like hell. Getting zapped by lightning hurt like hell, and she shook her head.

Caitlin and Patricia stepped out of the hallway.

"I thought I told you not to get hit by lightning."

* * *

The Joker paced back and forth in his hideout. Harley tried to wipe off his forehead with a towel, but he jerked away from him.

"But, puddin', you're sweating….you could have a heart attack or a stroke, or something…"

"I'm not going to have a heart attack, so sit down!" Joker yelled. He broke into a grin and the madman started to chuckle. "Although, after all of the shit I survived, a heart attack finally putting me in the ground would be hilarious!"

The Joker laughed, before he grew serious.

"I shouldn't make light of this situation….I mean…it's as serious as a…heart attack!"

Joker broke out into laughter once again. Goodness him, this was a real knee slapper. He started to slap his knees in a repeated and insane manner.

"As for you goons, today ,you were disgraceful, I should have you all fired…out of a cannon….."

The television in the hideout switched over. A pale woman appeared on the television screen, almost like she possessed the screen itself.

"Hello, everyone, after being booted off of the air, Liveiwire is back on the air, and she's back, 24/7/365, 366 every four years, baby!"

"Oh, could someone turn her down?" Harley asked. "I can't believe anyone could stand her. I mean, a shrill obnoxious voice, how could anyone even deal with her?"

All of the goons shifted in an uncomfortable manner, none of them speaking.

"Yeah, how could anyone ever listen to someone who speaks in a shrill and obnoxious voice," Joker dead panned.

"I'm here, and I have only one thing on my mind, and it's not all of the great deals you get at Fast Eddie's Car Lot….MAN I'M SO GLAD I DON'T HAVE TO DO ANY MORE OF THOSE STUPID PLUGS FOR ALL OF YOUR SHITTY BUSINESSES ANY MORE! Fast Eddie is named because his reputation with the ladies. He always comes in first."

The men at the hideout along with the Joker and Harley watched the train wreck which followed ,with widened eyes.

"The MCU, Supergirl, and the Joker will all pay for what they did to me!"

Joker blinked.

"What did I do to her?" Joker asked. The Clown Prince of Crime stared down his goons in surprise. "I killed her mother….cousin…uncle….best friend's dog….HELP ME OUT PEOPLE!"

"Um, she's the chick at the benefit deal who got hit by lightning," one of the goons said.

"Oh right, her!" Joker yelled. He started to cackle in amusement. "Man, she's really stepped up in the world."

Just goes to show you what one really bad day did.

"AND I'M GOING TO MAKE THIS ENTIRE CITY FRY FOR ALL OF THE DISRESPECT THEY'VE GIVE ME!"

Her voice echoed causing a feedback loop. The Joker cringed.

"sheesh, and people think I have a flare for the dramatics."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on November 3** **rd** **, 2015.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Sparks of Vengeance Part Two.**

* * *

The blast of electricity injured Kara and caused her more than discomfort. She didn't understand why this happened. Did she have a few theories? You better believe she had more than a couple of theories. The golden haired heroine paced back and forth against the lab like a caged animal. The looks she received from both Caitlin and Patricia caused her to ease up her tension, only a little bit.

"Sorry."

The Girl of Steel's hands folded over each other, digging into her cheek. Kara rocked back a half of an inch and breathing in and out. Caitlin reached to her, placing her hand to hers.

"It's going to be okay," Caitlin said.

"Yes, I know, but she's out there, and….I'm not sure what the limits of her power are," Kara said. "I could slow her down with the water, but I didn't quite stop her."

"You could short her out completely," Caitlin said.

"Is it possible?" Kara asked.

Patricia raised her hand up. The scientist worked as feverishly as she could. The DNA strands she took from Willis told the story. Or rather, it confirmed the story as she knew it. The woman frowned as she doubled checked the reading again.

She pressed a button. The machine started to hum. The results of the simulation she ran fired onto a piece of paper. The paper rested in her hand.

"The Kryptonite is the cause," Patricia said. "The combination of the electricity and the Kryptonite caused you to lose your powers partially, and give her powers of her own."

"So, she's some kind of meteor mutant?" Caitlin asked.

"Not in the traditional sense," Patricia said. "But in another way, she is."

Kara understood exactly what Patricia drove at. No doubt Leslie blamed her for what happened. A small twinge of guilt built up in Kara's body. The young woman attempted to calm herself down, to assure herself none of this could be pinned on her.

"The first meteor mutants suffered their mutation when the meteors came down hot," Kara said. "With the meteors active, the radiation affected them."

"Constant exposure to the Kryptonite does have a price to pay, as Mr. Luthor found out," Patricia said. "The radiation drives the victim to an unfortunate level of psychosis."

"And given the victim in question isn't the most well-adjusted, it's pretty bad," Kara said. "And she's out there…"

"Well, she shouldn't be too hard to track, should she?" Caitlin asked.

"What do you mean?"

"She's a media personality. Willis thrives on the attention she receives from her public. She won't be able to shut up for very long."

Patricia checked the airwaves and Livewire's voice blasted over the radio station.

"So, Supergirl might have got the drop on me last time, but she got lucky. And I have more power in my hair than she does in her own body. So if she thinks she can push me around, come and find out. You might be in for a nasty surprise!"

"I can't believe her," Kara said.

"She's lost her mind, hasn't she?" Caitlin asked.

Kara nodded grimly. Leslie Willis cracked to put everything in the bluntest manner possible.

Caitlin remained still and silent. She didn't know what to say. Given what she had been through, she found it hard not to feel any sympathy for Willis. The sympathy ended when Willis put a lot of people in danger because of her actions.

' _They could say the same thing about you.'_

Kara rose to her feet. Both of the doctors looked at her.

"You're not one hundred percent," Patricia said.

The statement caught Kara in such a matter of fact matter she almost shivered because of it. The Girl of Steel didn't back down. Despite her condition, Kara needed to go out there and stop Livewire.

"I'm someone who cleans up their messes after they made it."

"You aren't going to be able to defeat her head up, though," Patricia said. "And I'm not saying you shouldn't go out there and do what's right. I'm saying you shouldn't go out there and do what's right without a plan."

Seconds passed and Kara understood what she said.

"So, I'm guessing STAR Labs has something ready for me now, do they?"

Patricia rose to her feet and lead Kara to the lab.

"It's a prototype, but it should work."

Kara whistled as she looked it over. The usual impressive work one expected from STAR Labs greeted her. The Girl of Steel smirked as she took a long look over it.

"Well, you've really outdone yourself this time, Patricia."

"I'm sure it should insulate you from Livewire," Patricia said. "The Kryptonite based attacks can hurt you now…..and you're going to need to short her out."

Kara made a mental note of the perfect spot in the city to do it. She needed to lure Livewire out as well.

' _Shouldn't be too hard, she has an ego the size of the Daily Planet globe.'_

* * *

The newly dubbed Livewire cackled. You could really go home again. The staff at the radio station she worked at.

"Bet you thought you got rid of me, didn't you? Bet you thought since I got electrocuted…..you wouldn't have to deal with me. Well, you're still going to deal with me. I'm going to take over the airwaves, twenty four hours a day, live and in living color. And there's nothing you can do about it!"

The supervisor made his way over with a pair of portly security guards.

"Ms. Willis, I've offered you a lot of leeway….."

"Yeah, I know, you've gotten thousands of angry letters about me a day, but you had to keep me, because of the ratings you got, Mr. Richards," Leslie said. "But, you know what; I brought the goods all of the kind, as your highest rating show. And people tuned in to hear me speak. And now they're going to tune in, every moment, of every day….."

"What, do you want, Ms. Willis?"

Livewire cackled in delight. Her eyes flashed ominously. One of the security guards clutched his club.

"I'm sure the donut patrol over there is going to do a bang up job stopping me. Well, they should have stopped while they were ahead."

The two security guards charged towards her. Livewire's eyes glowed and wires shot out of the wall. The cables wrapped around the two guards, pinning them in place. They struggled in an attempt to get out of their predicament.

"I'm sure you're going to get a real charge out of this one!"

Livewire cackled at her own really bad pun. She closed her eyes and mentally channeled a ton of energy through the cables. Energy jumped through the cables, taking the goons down in the process.

They slumped forward, resembling grotesque puppets with their arms and legs frailing on either side. Livewire's lips curled into a sadistic smile as she turned her attention towards the manager of the station.

"It's lucky you're not the most important person in my life right about now. You should be thankful I'm not going to wipe you out. BUT, I'M STILL GOING TO LEAVE YOU WITH A LASTING IMPRESSION OF ME!"

The woman's blood curdling shrieks made the manager stagger to the ground. The lights exploded all around him, forcing him to take a defensive stance, dropping to the ground. The man lifting his hands and placing them to his ears followed seconds later.

Livewire ran down a cable, and move her way to a stakeout between Intergang and the Major Crimes Unit. Glee flashed through the women's eyes.

"Excellent, two birds with one stone."

The MCU cornered the Intergang goons, but the Intergang goons wielded weapons which would be able to take them down in an instant if they were allowed to do so. The guns clicked and were about ready to fire.

"You people really are fools, aren't you?"

An overarching jolt of electricity rose through the ground. The Intergang goons found themselves caught off guard from the attack.

"Hey, everyone, it's me again! Don't think you forgot I was in the middle of your little piss fight. I tried to be a good citizen today, and tried to support my police. Fat lot of good it did me!"

"Take her out!" one of the Intergang goons yelled.

He tried to activate the weapon, only to find it locked in his hand. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fire the trigger.

"And now you're just being stupid….or maybe it's your natural state. I can never tell with thugs."

"You're missing one person here."

A blur shot from the sky. The Intergang goons looked up into the sky to see not a bird, not a plane, but one Supergirl. Supergirl flew around them like a vortex, picking them up into the air and launching them off to one side.

The Intergang goons reached flight and were sent flying.

"Look up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's Supergirl! And….hey you've brought protection, good for you!"

Supergirl refused to allow Willis to get inside her head with the constant heckling. She managed to lift up the MCU members, albeit a bit more gently, to get them out of the way.

"Okay, Livewire, it's just you and me this time! One on one, to see who will win!"

Livewire's energy form rose out of the cables. She considered the fight with Supergirl. She drew all of the energy possible and charged at her.

A blast of lightning fired at the Girl of Steel. Supergirl avoided the lightning hitting her. She might have been wearing a protective suit, but she refused to take even the slightest of chances. Another two bolts of lightning scorched the ground.

"Okay, let's see if you work."

She activated a magnetic device. An arching blast of energy shot through the cables. Livewire howled in agony.

Supergirl seized the moment and speared her off of the power lines. The two women landed onto the ground with a thud.

A couple of Intergang goons stirred. One of them picked up an energy weapon and tried to take a pot shot at Supergirl.

Supergirl avoided the attack. Obsessive died hard, and with the obsessive, it was hard for them to just let go of their desire to take her down.

The Girl of Steel leaned forward, eyes glowing. She fired her heat vision, dismantling the weapon. The weapon dropped to the ground, molten metal splashing to the ground.

The other goon received a huge punch to the face, knocking him out.

Supergirl's head turned to one side. Realization dawned upon her.

Livewire disappeared quicker than a flash of lightning, leaving her back to square one.

"Good thing you tagged her when you did," Patricia said. "I have a pretty good idea where she ran off to."

Kara's lips curled into a tired smile. She hoped so and hoped she could wrap up this entire mess tonight.

* * *

"I don't think you people get it. It's not really your fault you can't figure it out. I'm unstoppable! You can send your special crimes unit, your major crimes unit, your anti-vigilante task force after me. You can send Supergirl after me, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, you can send the Flash, but even the Flash won't be fast enough to touch me!"

Supergirl listened to Livewire's grandstanding speech. Did her ears start to bleed at the very sensation of her rattling off her bullshit? Kara couldn't really tell at this point. The Girl of Steel took flight.

"But you know what, I have the power in this city. Perhaps I should put you in the dark. How would you like it if you woke up in the morning, only to find yourself without any lights? Without any ability to turn on the television? Without any way to log onto your computer? You'd be in complete and utter darkness. And the only entertainment you'd hear is the sound of my own voice twenty four seven. HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT?"

"I'd say cruel and unusual punishment is illegal in Metropolis."

Livewire turned her attention on the Jumbotron. Supergirl smiled and activated another dial on the device Patricia made. It began to siphon the energy from the location of Livewire's broadcast.

"You dare drain my power. YOU DARE!"

"Yes, I dare," Supergirl said. "And I dare you to do something about it, bitch!"

Livewire rose to the challenge and chased at Supergirl. She moved a bit more sluggish than before.

Supergirl darted at her at the speed of light, magnets in either hand. She started to pummel her with a series of attacks, staggering her.

"Just wait until I get my hands on you!" Livewire howled. "I'm going to crush you."

Kara whipped her hair back, looking through her eyes, with mischievous glimpse in her eyes.

"Yeah, I've heard all of the criminals talk about how you're going to crush me. You couldn't hit me even if you tried."

Livewire channeled all of the energy towards her. Supergirl blasted off at the speed of light in the other direction.

"Are you too slow to keep up with me, Livewire? Do you have a spark or are you nothing but a dead battery? Come on, I think you can do better, a lot better. CHASE ME!"

Livewire clenched her fists, breathing in and out. The woman charged at Supergirl, chasing her across Metropolis.

She channeled energy through her. A blast of lightning flew through the air at Supergirl. The Girl of Steel dodged the bolt of lightning before it caught her.

"Just wait, you brat, I'm going to make you fry!"

The two of them blasted beyond the Metropolis city limits. Livewire ignored they passed Metropolis. Revenge on her mind.

"You know, you were kind of stupid to stand out in the middle of the lightning storm to do a benefit concert. So, I guess you didn't have too many brain cells anyway before they became fried."

"Oh, like you have room to talk!" Livewire yelled.

Supergirl evaded the lightning blast. They passed into the fields out into the country side. She lead Livewire further on.

Livewire flung at her, but Supergirl whipped out the magnetic device. Livewire blasted it from her hand. The electricity based supervillainess speared Supergirl from the air and dropped her down to the ground.

Both of them crashed into the ground, leaving a sizeable dent in the ground where they connected. Supergirl rolled to her feet, ignoring the pain racking through her body. The wind became knocked out of her body.

Livewire rubbed her fingers together, and caused sparks to fly.

"Time for you to go down, Supergirl! You've run out of room to run!"

Livewire rose her hand into the air. The woman channeled a load of energy through the palm of her hand. The sparks flew through the sky. Seconds later, Supergirl waited for the energy to blast at her.

The energy arched out of her hand, but stopped and came back into her hand. The woman waved her hand, and kept trying to fire the energy blasts. The energy blasts kept returning to her hand, until they stopped sparking.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Supergirl rolled her eyes. The woman's problem was she never accepted any blame for her flaws and oh boy were her flaws dancing out in front of her. The glow around the women's skin faded for a brief moment.

"Well, if you must go, I lead you out in the middle of nowhere, and you fell for it. Because, let's face it Leslie, you're not the brightest bulb in the box. Never have, never had been. You don't have the juice you need out here."

Livewire's screams continued to echo for a few seconds. She prepared to return to the city, only to find out she was out of power.

Supergirl nailed her in the jaw with an uppercut and caused her to fly into the nearby stream. The water caused her to light up like a Christmas tree for a second, before she faded.

Livewire collapsed in the stream.

The sound of helicopters indicated Supergirl needed to beat it. She pulled Livewire's limp body out of the water.

Burning a quick message of instruction into the field with heat vision, Supergirl turned on her heel and blasted out of the scene faster than a speeding bullet.

* * *

Kara thought for the first time in a long time, she could breathe a bit more easily. Livewire was locked up and the day was saved. She returned back to STAR Labs, and sat down in one of the rooms.

Patricia took a nice long look over her.

"I swear, you have an obsession of looking me over in my panties. Not, I mind….but there are far easier ways of getting me out of my clothes and in my panties."

The doctor maintained some level of professionalism and managed not to rise to Kara's bait. The woman's eyes raked over Kara's skin, smiling for a brief second.

"Just making sure there weren't side effects. The suit served a dual purpose of helping you heal out there against Livewire, along with replenishing the powers you lost."

"Guess, everything works out for the best, then," Kara said. Her lips curled into a knowing smile as Patricia worked over her. "So, let me know what the damage is."

Patricia took a few seconds to look over the readings. For a brief second, she paused, wanting to verify everything before she took the plunge.

"Okay, Kara, I have good news. Your power levels are at optimal level. The damage Livewire did has been reversed."

Kara could have done a dance for a moment. Patricia entered the room to face her, as Kara rose from her feet.

Seizing the moment, Kara wrapped her arms around Patricia's body. The woman jumped almost in surprise as Kara pulled her into a crushing hug. Her hot body pressed against Patricia's.

"Thank you for everything," Kara said.

"No, I have to thank you for everything," Patricia said. Kara didn't let go of her embrace, in fact the scientist extended her arms around Kara's sensual form. "All of the times you helped out here….it's amazing. I just wish I could help you with Clara."

Kara smiled and looked Patricia in the eyes. Her hands moved down a little bit, touching her ass.

"Hey, the time will come," Kara said. "You have to have faith."

"Yeah, I guess I do have it….." Patricia said.

Seconds later, Kara leaned towards Patricia. The two of them kissed long and hard. Patricia couldn't believe how soft Kara's lips were pressed against hers. She felt the women's power, intoxicating her as Kara slowly overpowered her.

Kara grinned through the kiss at her latest, and perhaps long overdue, conquest. She felt the woman's nipples poke through her shirt at her. The woman brushed her hands over Patricia's body.

"So, people have been talking about us. Why don't we really give them something to talk about?"

* * *

Leslie Willis, better known as Livewire, started to groan as she woke up in her cell. She didn't know where this all went south. The anger filled her body because of one obvious fact.

Supergirl, it was all about Supergirl. With her perfect blonde hair, her blue eyes, her perfect body without an ounce of fat. She never had to diet once, she could eat what she wanted without any consequences.

Everyone loved Supergirl, she was so great. Leslie felt anger the rest of the world didn't see the monster the Girl of Steel was.

"One of these days, I WILL GET OUT OF HERE!" Livewire yelled. Her voice carried several miles until her vocal cords turned raw. "And when I get out of here….Supergirl, she'll pay with her life. She'll pay with her blood. She'll pay in every single way she could imagine. I'm going to wreck her! Do you hear me? I WILL WRECK HER!"

Livewire's shrieks continued to escalate and her breathing escalated along with it. The woman nearly yanked out her hair as she rocked back and forth against the side of the cage.

The bracelets on her wrists presented her from channeling any power. She was powerless as she was before Supergirl tried to kill her.

"She's jealous of me, and she tried to silence me."

A guard walked up to the cell.

"If you're going to make me try to choke down the slop you call food, don't bother. I'd rather eat my own hair."

"You're being transferred, Miss Willis."

"Well don't look too excited about it!" Livewire yelled. She paused for a second. "Wait a minute, where are you…who are you….you're going to put me in some government lab to be experimented on like a lab rat, aren't you?"

"Only if you choose to be a problem, Miss Willis."

The energy powered villainess looked up. Her eyes fixated on the large black woman who approached her. She squatted down near the other side of the cell, with a smile crossing her face.

"My name is Amanda Waller. Welcome to the Suicide Squad."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on November 6** **th** **, 2015.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty-Four: The Mystery of Nightwing Part One.**

* * *

Metropolis after dark over the past couple of months turned into a far more dangerous place since the Joker ran into town. He added an entirely new level of hostility which kept the people of the city on their toes. Many assumed his actions to be along the lines of good chaotic fun. Others didn't, and others were terrified of what might happen.

"I don't know what the clown is planning."

"Do you really think any of us know what he's planning? We just have to be where we want to be, and make sure he's not in a good enough mood to kill us."

One of the thugs avoided dropping the sandwich he ate. A steady hand allowed him to hang onto the sandwich. Crumbs dropped to the ground.

"Yeah, I spent years in Gotham City, trying to bust my ass. Moved to Metropolis to get away from the insanity. I swear, the moment you think you get out, someone pulls you back in."

Some of the goons nodded in agreement. Many shares similar stories about trying to escape the life in Gotham City. One of them reached towards the candy machine.

"Well at least the vending machines are in order. Either out of order, or they have five year old candy bars in there."

"You don't know what's in the candy to begin with, do you?"

"Nah, but as long as the expiration date's recent, it doesn't matter. Guy has to get a pick me up every now and then."

He slid the coins into the vending machine. The machine sprung to life and slid the candy bar out. The man pulled the bar from the machine and unwrapped it.

"See…perfect…..you don't have to worry about the machine screwing you over like we do in Gotham City."

The thug took a long bite into the candy bar. He made a funny face, and almost choked.

"Almonds, should have knew there was a catch."

The man lowered his hand down for a few seconds. He shrugged and despite the risks of him eating almonds, he took another bite into a candy bar.

"The clown is nuts if he thinks he's going to….pull off whatever he's going to pull off."

"No, you don't say…the Joker is nuts!" one of the thugs exclaimed. "Next thing you're going to tell me is Rupert Thorne needs to drop a few pounds."

"Hey, I'm being serious, there are people coming at us from everywhere," the thug said. "From the left, from the right, from underneath, and the Joker just laughs it off."

"Well, you have to keep an open mind. I mean, you'd be a bit bent too if you had to hang around someone like Quinn all day."

Another thug broke into a smile.

"I don't know, hot piece of ass. If I could find a way to gag her….."

"Yeah, you try and gag her, and see what happens," the thug said. "Bitch is the type to suck you off and cut off your balls after she's had her fun."

The thug in question shivered. Never thought about everything along those lines, but the boys most certainly had a point.

"Huntress, Supergirl, the Green Arrow, Black Canary….am I missing any…."

"No, I think you actually got them all."

"Well, they're coming at us from all sides," the thug said. The man's hands wrapped around a pipe, causing his knuckles to turn purple with a vain attempt to hold it in his hand. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, your guess is as good as mine," the goon said. "But, I don't think you've got the message, he's the Joker. He's the man with the plan. Sure the plan might not make any sense, but what are you going to do? It's the Joker, and it's how he rolls."

One of the street lamps blew up. A second street lamp blew up.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Must be the Huntress, this is the type of thing she's good for."

"Oh yeah, well if it's the Huntress, we're going to be ready to take her down. She's not going to get in my way."

The goon started to twirl the chain in his hand. Time stood still as the goon whipped the chain back and forth several times.

A hand grabbed the chain. A figure bolted behind the thug of the goon. Wrapping the chain around the goon's neck caused the goon to gag. The figure jumped up and brought a set of knees into the back of the goon.

One of the goons swung a burly fist at the attacker. The attacker gripped the goon around the head, choking the life out of him.

The attacker bounced through the air. Like a ping-pong ball, the attacker in question bounced from goon-to-goon. The attacker brought one of the goons down to the goon.

By the moment the lights returned to life, another Intergang shipment returned. A vigilante disappeared into the shadows, without another word.

* * *

Kara exited one of her classes at Met-U. She couldn't take at least another three steps without running into the gossip about the new mysterious vigilante.

"Well, do you think Batman has come back from the grave?"

"Batman, if Batman came from the grave, why would he do it in Metropolis? Gotham City is still pretty messed up, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but, the Joker came to Metropolis. And with Batman, there comes the Joker."

Kara understood who it was instantly.

"Man, if you ask me, people need to leave the heroes alone and let them do their job."

Kara wished she could have patted the person on the back. The rumors Turpin left the MCU and Maggie was suspended reached her. The entire Livewire fiasco put a lot of people in hot water. The Commissioner of the MCU, likely due to some heat coming down from the Mayor, decided he would crack down even harder.

Supergirl needed to operate a bit more from the shadows. Barbara thankfully gave her a lot of tips on how to avoid the police. Given her father is one of Gotham's finest, Kara thought listening to Barbara would be in her best interests.

"So, you heard all about her, didn't you?"

Kara peered over her shoulder just in time to see Donna and Barbara approaching her. Barbara, as usual, checked a laptop of some sort. Donna's face curled into a frown as she approached the Girl of Steel.

"I've heard more than I enough, I think," Kara said. "They're talking about the new vigilante in town, and….who else could you think it is?"

Kara, Donna, and Barbara walked over a ways. The trio made sure they were out of the ear's reach of any busy bodies. While everyone else looked to be in their own world, you could never really be too careful. Kara attached an insect looking device against the wall, which should do a sufficient enough job to muffle things out.

"Claire's back in town, and…..she's not really talking to you or anyone else, isn't she?" Barbara asked. "Or at least you think she's back in town."

"Lois thought she was, and wouldn't Lois know better than about anyone else?" Kara asked.

The girls thought Kara had a point. Lois's keen eye and reporter instincts often proved to be spot on. So spot on it got her into trouble.

Kara turned to Donna, who smiled and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Do you think Claire might have had time to train with the Amazons?"

"No, if I read Diana right, she didn't have time to train with the Amazons," Kara said. "I'm sure the invitation was open for her, but….you know how Claire is. She needs to find her own way, no matter what."

Donna responded with a sigh. Back to square one. The Amazon Princess shifted the books in her arms. Careful not to drop them, Donna leaned up, and closed her eyes. She thought she had all of the answers, but someone kept changing the questions on her.

"Okay, maybe not the Amazons of Themyscira."

The way Donna dropped the statement prompted Kara to gaze at her with a raised eyebrow. Donna decided to amend her statement.

"You know there are splinter groups of rogue Amazons out there. What if one of them picked up Claire, and enticed her to join them? You know the vulnerable state she's in."

Kara groaned.

"Maybe you should ask Diana when you talk to her next. She'd know far better than I would, wouldn't she?"

Kara nodded, Diana would know far better to be honest. And the two of them would meet up later tonight for an early dinner. Kara hoped to get some answers, or the very least some inside.

"So far, she's been keeping three steps ahead of us," Barbara said.

"Do you think you can do something to keep a step ahead of her?" Kara asked.

Barbara bit into her lip, frowning. She analyzed the screen for a few seconds and returned to look at Kara.

"I'll do the best I can, but you know, miracles don't come by easily," Barbara said. "She's been targeting Intergang, and how. If you figure out what they're up to next, I think you'll find your rogue Kryptonian."

Kara pressed her hand to the side of her face.

"I'll see if there are any strange shipments coming in, maybe from Gotham to Metropolis," Barbara said.

"Will you?"

"Yes, of course," Barbara said.

Kara leaned and kissed Barbara on her lips. The redhead accepted the brief, but passionate kiss.

"Thank you Barbara, I owe you a lot."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find a way to make it up to me later."

Kara understood only one thing about her cousin's efforts. She only attacked at night, which was very Bat of her.

' _I'll meet her tonight. Answers are long overdue. I will get them.'_

* * *

"I can't believe it!"

"What are you yelling at us for boss? We weren't even there!"

The Joker looked like he hadn't slept in days. His suit looked a little more crumpled than ever before. His hair stuck up in directions. His smile still existed, but there was no way it would be going.

The Clown Prince of Crime paced back and forth. The clown's breathing grew even more obvious, even more prominent. More frantic as he paced back and forth, almost wearing a hole into the carpet.

"Well, all of the people who were there, are dead. I can't yell at dead people, now can I?"

The Joker's rhetorical question caused the thugs to nod up and down. The clown breathed based on no one answering the question.

"Puddin', you need to watch your blood pressure….."

"Harley, I need you to give me some space to breathe!"

Harley dodged the Joker as his fists whirled around. The crazed jester dropped down onto a chair.

"Metropolis, you….just had to go all insane."

The Joker didn't even laugh. The Intergang thugs took a step back. Especially the transfers from Gotham City who knew the game.

"We better….stay out of range. The minute the clown stops laughing….."

"Hello, I'm in the room, I can hear you!" the Joker yelled. "You know, how am I supposed to complete my grand master piece for Gotham City….."

"Metropolis?" one of the gang members asked.

BANG! Joker shot him in the chest and once more in the head for good measure.

"Don't correct me," the Joker said.

The Intergang members all looked on pins and needles now. The thug bled out on the floor, shot down by the Joker. The man lost the plot, along with his mind.

"As I was saying, again, before I was rudely interrupted…again!"

Harley nervously gave him a glass of water. The Joker took it and drank it. For a few seconds, the Joker remained silent.

"Hit the spot," Joker said. He dropped into a chair, polishing a really long gun. The man's beady little eyes zeroed in on Intergang. "As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted by some asshole who had to correct everything I said, acting like he's some superior little smug….well you know."

The Joker cleared his throat. The Intergang goons shifted back and wondered if it was too late to think of an alternate career path which wouldn't get them all killed.

"My grand vision of Metropolis needs to be realized. My masterpiece, my…final curtain on this city, because you see, time is running out. If you're going to go out, you're going to go out with a bang!"

The Joker chuckled a little bit. Full blown laughter didn't follow because he just wasn't in the mood. All of the goons relaxed half of a step, but not too much. Relaxing too much was the perfect way to get shot.

"Black Canary is running around, Huntress is running around, Supergirl, and those anti-Vigilante idiots are getting in my way," The Joker said. "You'd think they would help me, but they're going to end up screwing me over, in the prison sense."

One of the men tried hard not to break out into laughter. The Joker held his really large gun at the goon and shot him dead.

"It wasn't funny, and I didn't give you permission to laugh!" Joker bellowed.

Everyone in the room scattered away from each other in terror.

"And now, there's some Dragon swooping down from the skies and causing my boys trouble. Well, this time, I'm not going to stand back and take it!"

The Clown Prince of Crime ran his fingers through his hair. The man wrapped his fist around his head, tugging on it. The man groaned for a second.

"We need to stop whoever is doing this, at all costs. I'm not pissing around, either you ship up, or you end like these two guys."

The Joker extended his finger to point at the two fresh corpses at the floor. The man rose to his feet.

"Make sure everything is prepared for the final climax on Metropolis. I'm counting on you to be competent and not get yourselves killed by some assassin."

X-X-X

Diana faced off against Kara. The staredown and battle of the wills between the two heroines caused anyone who might see it to shudder. Diana knew Kara would confront her on this, but she didn't really have to like it.

"So, she didn't come to the island?"

"No," Diana said. "I left the invitation open several times, as you know. Claire decided to ignore it….even though we would have welcomed her with open arms."

"And as for any other rogue Amazon factions."

"Donna told you about them, didn't she?" Diana asked.

Kara folded her arms across her chest. Diana blinked and took a deep breath.

"The best I can tell, Claire didn't run into any rogue Amazon factions or enlist any of their help for training. Someone else trained her."

Diana sat down and invited Kara to sit down next to her. In the past couple of weeks, ever since Claire made her presence known, Diana placed her attention more in Metropolis than she maybe should. She couldn't help, but take a closer look at what happened inside the city.

"If you asked me, she gained someone smart enough to let her know the element of surprise is crucial," Diana said. "She got the drop on the Female Furies."

"The real question is, does she have her powers back?" Kara asked.

"It would have helped against the Furies," Diana said. The Amazon Princess reached and grabbed her hand. "I know you feel responsible about Claire losing her powers….."

"No, Claire losing her powers is on her own, although I'm trying to help her," Kara said. "What I feel responsible for is what I said during the entire Black Kryptonite fiasco."

"Still haunted by what you said?" Diana asked.

"And the saddest thing is, I meant every word," Kara said. The Girl of Steel hung her head in shame. "I know I shouldn't have said them, but I meant them."

Diana squeezed Kara's hand. Something about Diana's grip reassured Kara, relaxed her, and made her think she could tell the Amazon Princess everything.

"We tell a lot lies to spare the people we love. Even if the truth does set us free."

"The truth might set us free, but it still hurts people like hell," Kara said. "But, never mind, I'll find Claire when I find her."

"If she keeps up her patterns, you might find her sooner rather than later," Diana said. "Providing, Helena doesn't find her first."

"Helena's on the search for her?"

"Should you really be surprised," Diana said.

Kara laughed, although she laughed. The girl shook her head in response.

"So, what's been going on with you?"

Diana frowned, choosing her next few words with care.

"Mother has been dealing with politics back home."

"Nothing serious?" Kara asked.

"She tells me not to concern myself with the matters back home," Diana said. "But, I can't help but think….well the rogue Amazons interpreted my mother's teachings and the teachings of Hera wrong. There's a lot of controversy by the fact we had positive dealings with Man's World in the first place."

"Surely some of them don't want to declare war on Man's World?" Kara asked.

Diana took a second to consider those words from Kara.

' _I don't want to think my sister's would go to the extreme of declaring war on…but they have left us.'_

"The Amazons history with this world has been a bumpy one," Diana said. "We are not depicted in the most favorable of manners either because of a minority who have their opinion on men due to the acts of a minority of them."

"It's a really vicious cycle," Kara said.

"My mother taught them better, and the teachings applied for Hera, taught them better," Diana said.

"And you'd think, if anyone had a reason to be bitter against men, it would be Hera. Given how her husband acted in the myths."

Diana shook her head. If anything, the myths understated how Zeus acted. The actual god happened to be far worse than the stories and the myths often depicted.

"So, are you hungry?"

"Always," Kara said.

"We better get something to eat, if we're going to tackle the problem tonight."

"And I have a good idea where Claire might be heading," Helena said in both of their ear pieces.

* * *

On the docks outside of Metropolis, a barge came in. Said barge contained a large shipment coming from Intergang.

Watching from afar were Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and Huntress.

"If this isn't a tempting target for her, I don't know what is at this point," Supergirl said.

"Hopefully she comes by now everything has been sprung," Wonder Woman said. "What do you think they're planning?"

"Nothing good if the Joker commissioned it," Huntress said.

Diana never considered executing someone to be the logical answer up until the point where she ran into the Joker. The crazed man killed men, women, children, people of all races, all backgrounds. He killed the handicapped, the healthy, and pretty much anyone he put his hands on.

She thought out of all of the people, the Joker would be easier to kill. His death would actually save lives and not lead to more bloodshed.

"She may have received her training from a rogue League member," Huntress said.

Supergirl corked an eyebrow and turned towards her.

"You mean from the League of Assassins?" Diana asked.

"Yes."

"The only Rogue league members I know of is Cheshire," Kara said. "Unless you have a good idea of who is behind her training."

Kara remembered Dinah's sister, Sara, broke free from the League. As far as Kara knew though, she was killed. The circumstances of her death shrouded in a weird mystery as no one never recovered the body.

"I have suspicious," Helena said.

Helena doubted it would be her, it couldn't be her? The woman trained her father at one time and proved to be one of the deadliest assassins in the world.

"With Ra's Al Ghul…."

One of the Intergang goons made a signal and rolled out what appeared to be a large crate.

Kara tried not to act on instinct. This stakeout wasn't about taking out Intergang or stopping them from shipping whatever into Gotham City. They planned to lure Claire out into the open.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kara noticed something. Helena noticed it as well.

The lamps outside went completely dead. The figure swooped from the shadows.

Kara's enhanced vision made out the movements of the figures in the dark. The figure moved from Intergang goon to Intergang goon, wiping them out. She took them out with a series of efficient strikes. One of them nailed the neck from an angle it killed the person instantly.

Diana and Helena watched as well.

"Let's not let her have all of the fun."

Diana's lasso ensnared one of the Intergang goons and pulled him into the shadows. The Amazon Princess nailed the goon with a vicious clothesline to take him out.

The Huntress dropped down and pummeled one of the Intergang goons. One pointed a weapon at her, but a grapnel fired out to yank the weapon from his hand.

Supergirl flew at one of the Intergang goons. A particularly large goon attacked her. She dodged the attack, jumped on his shoulders, wrapping her legs around his head. She flipped him to the ground using her legs.

She swung around the lightpost, and nailed both of them with a pair of kicks in the face, doubling him over.

The heroines and the figure in black made rather efficient work of the Intergang thugs.

The lights flickered back on. Supergirl sped in front of the dark figure before she retreated.

The dark haired woman wore a skin tight leather suit. The suit clung to every inch of her body. The domino mask covered her face. The woman clipped her hair back. On the suit rested a green dragon which Kara recognized in an instant.

' _No way.'_

She cleared her throat.

"Hello, Claire, fancy meeting you here."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on November 10** **th** **, 2015.**


	35. Mystery of Nightwing Part Two

**Chapter Thirty-Five: The Mystery of Nightwing Part Two.**

* * *

Claire stepped back away from Kara. Kara folded her arms across her chest, peering back at her cousin. Claire didn't blink from her. She stared back. Silence caused an awkward moment to be created.

Kara wondered what Claire would have to say for herself. A part of Kara dreaded what Claire said. The last time they spoke to each other, they never parted under the best of terms. The breeze blowing through the docks in Metropolis broke the silence, as unsettling as said silence was. Kara raised a hand and placed it on Claire's shoulder.

Claire avoided flinching underneath Kara's grip. The hand remained firmly placed on her shoulder.

"So, you figured it out."

"Wasn't too hard," Kara said. "Lois pretty much saw you. Old habits die hard, don't they?"

Claire took a step back. Kara's hand fell back to her side. The two cousins didn't know what to say.

Diana cast a nervous look. At least tempers didn't flare, at least for now. The woman put her hand on the lasso, keeping at ready.

' _Hera, give me strength if I need to break up this fight.'_

Hera didn't get involved, rather Helena did. Helena crossed between the two of them, forcing a barrier. Kara backed up and allowed Claire to be the recipient one own good old fashioned Wayne glare of discomfort.

"You were annoyingly frustrating to get ahold of."

Claire considered her words, before answering it.

"Are you trying to tell me you had no idea where I was?"

"I have my theories, but let me here your explanation."

Claire knew the moment approached. The individual who took her in and gave her the training all but told her the moment approached. Claire refused to let herself be bothered by anyone. Helena, Diana, and Kara, all of them were owed explanations to varying degrees. Claire wasn't exactly certain how willing she was to give them said explanations for the obvious reasons.

Regardless, the woman fixated her gaze on them.

"I needed to disappear. I needed to disconnect myself from everything. I needed to do what was necessary to save my city, to save Metropolis. Even if I needed to become something else, even if I needed to become someone else."

Kara gritted her teeth. Thoughts formed in her head, but the girl of steel struggled to articulate them.

' _Can't believe her. Can't believe she would do something….didn't she learn what happens when she distances herself from her emotions?'_

Helena managed to spare Kara from ripping into her cousin and step in towards her.

"I know better than anyone else the flaws of emotionally distancing yourself."

Claire turned her full and undivided attention to Helena. The two of them locked eyes with each other. Diana turned her attention away from Kara and Claire, to Claire and Helena.

' _Hera, this is something I really need strength for._

"Are you trying to tell me I'm being stupid for cutting off my emotions? Because I swear, it's what you're trying to tell me."

"Well, of the shoe fits, Claire, you put it on, it might…."

A jolt from inside the ship caused Kara to stand up. The ship began to rock on its own accord. A loud growl caught their attention.

"Do you think we can try and has this out later?" Kara asked. "Because, we've got a really serious problem right about now."

The ship rocked back and forth. The cargo inside the ship caused a loud crash to echo. The prominence escalated inside the ship. A large beefy hand smashed its way through the window.

Kara stepped back to get a better look. The wind blew through her hair. The caped heroine leaned towards the ship.

"Titan," Helena said.

The figure burst out of the ship and jumped on. Helena avoided the attack by going out of the way.

Her efforts to get out of the way left the Titan Beast open for Diana. Diana fired a rapid fire series of kicks and punches, staggering the beast. The beast reached towards Diana and whipped her head back like she was nothing at all.

Diana crumpled down to the ground like an overused piece of paper. The Amazon Princess pulled herself up to one knee, to avoid the Titan's charges. The Titan tried to take Diana's head off.

Kara nailed him with a kick to the face. The bone cracked and the Titan dropped to his knee.

Claire jammed a gauntlet onto her hand, and her hand started to vibrate. She drilled the creature in creature's neck in the back. Knuckle prints left in the back of the creature's hands.

The creature swung a violent back hand at Claire. Claire shifted her weight away from the creature. Kara drove down a double axe handle blow to the top of the creature's head, hitting a series of rapid fire punches.

"I have it Claire, back off."

Kara lured the creature out on a rickety dock. Claire made a step back.

The creature snatched Kara around the throat. Kara returned fire with a rocket buster of a punch, wobbling the creature. The creature staggered back, and Kara plowed it with another series of punches, rocking it with all she could give it.

Through blurred vision, the creature tried to take her down. Kara jumped at the last minute.

The full weight of the Titan monster splintered the docks beneath Kara. The creature wobbled and plunged into the murky depths below.

Kara paused, with the creature smashing through the docks. The creature staggered, but collapsed. The beast's heart gave out.

"Onto the ship," Helena said.

Helena, Claire, Kara, and Diana made their way onto the ship. Several crates lingered in the ship. The creature smashed a few of the crates through his rampage.

Kara leaned down, grabbing the clasp of one of the crates. She swung it open to reveal absolutely nothing inside.

Nothing wasn't exactly accurate upon second glimpse. A crudely drawn smiley face in yellow paint taunted Kara. Kara clenched her fist, counting to ten before taking a deep breath. Then she counted to ten one more time to ensure she remained calm.

She turned to ask Helena something, but she disappeared. Claire followed her lead.

"And now there's two of them, wonderful," Kara said.

"We better find some answers," Diana said. "There has to be a hint of what else was on this ship…..although the beast might be a big enough hint."

Leave it despite Kara's constant frustrations for Diana to put things in perspective. The Amazon and the Kryptonian scoured the ship, for any other traces of what the Joker's plan might be.

* * *

Claire kicked herself for being seen. She shouldn't have been seen, but yet she was scene. The woman slumped against the wall of the underground hideout she adopted. She took a long look at the pumping station which Metropolis abandoned. Outfitted with a few pieces of furniture and some old, but still functional equipment, it worked just like home.

Four months ago after Kara and Claire had their confrontation, she did some thinking. Claire never would have lost her powers if she had not been so careless. So, she decided to seek out a means to restore them on her own, and to more importantly train without using them.

Claire packed and left, when she dropped by. At first, Claire doubted her intentions, but over time, the woman proved to be an able teacher. Whipping Claire into shape, pulling out potential which had not been seen. Potential Claire struggled to fulfill thanks to her powers.

' _My powers were my greatest weakness to achieving my full potential.'_

Claire achieved her full potential. A wide grin passed over her face. She slid the mask off of her face and peered into a slightly cracked mirror.

The young woman struggled to detach herself from her emotions. Jor-El's AI attempted to teach her the lesson. Claire only grasped what he taught. Emotions clouded her judgment and forced her not to live up to her full potential.

Potential, talk about a world which haunted Claire. Claire sank down on the moth eaten couch.

' _I was stupid to reveal myself this soon. Lois…..shows I have a lot to learn.'_

Claire laughed. The day Lois ceased finding trouble would be the day she stopped being Lois. Yet, Claire recalled one other thing. Lois didn't really get into trouble on her own accord this time. She became a victim of the increased crime in Metropolis which stopped the moment Superwoman fell.

Kara did her best. Claire thought under the circumstances she did a good job, but she made the same mistakes Claire did, trying to live a duel existence. She tried to be Superwoman and attempted to be Claire Kent, and at times, it lead to her neglecting certain aspects of herself.

Claire vowed to right the wrongs of Superwoman as Nightwing.

' _I need to become something else if I really want to save my city.'_

Claire switched focus to the Joker. The madman's plans seldom made a whole lot of sense, but the Titan goon and the missing shipments pointed towards something dastardly.

' _I have to figure out what he's up to.'_

Claire sat at the edge of her seat. She made her way onto the laptop, logging onto the Internet. Normally, Chloe's assistance helped her with these technological manners.

Another thing Claire picked up during her training. She relied a bit too much on others. When she really needed to help herself, she started to fall.

Regardless, Claire made her way into the police reports about Intergang's latest activities. She needed to find some common point of origin.

Every couple of seconds, Claire peered over her shoulder. Helena didn't show up just yet, but Claire half expected her to do so. Call it her being paranoid if one wanted, but Claire knew how the woman operated.

Did she strike something tangible? Time would tell.

* * *

A distracted Kara returned to the apartment where Lois shared with Claire. In the hallway, she ran into Lois.

"Finally got checked out of the hospital," Lois said. "About three days too late, but hey….at least I finally twisted their arms enough."

"Did you get checked out or did you get kicked out?" Kara asked.

Lois turned to Kara, to raise her eyebrow. A small smile passed over the face of the reporter, pretty much answering Kara's question without words.

"Well, what do you think?"

Kara smiled; she knew the answer in an instant without really thinking about it. The two women made their way to the apartment. Lois fished a key out of her pocket and unlocked the door. The two of them slipped inside.

"Don't mind the mess….don't know how it can get so messy….."

"Maybe because Claire used to be the one who did all of the cleaning?" Kara asked.

Lois blinked at the casual use of Claire's name from Kara. Kara broke the unspoken agreement not to bring Claire up, and Lois wondered why.

She took one look at Kara. Kara looked more worn out than someone with super powers should be.

"You look frazzled," Lois said.

"I've just been from the docks….the Joker shipped something into Gotham City," Kara said. "One large hulking beast hopped up on the Titan formula."

"Titan formula?" Lois asked. "I thought the project was aborted due to side effects. You know, they thought it could be a formula to control the impulsive behaviors of criminals."

"Well, it became the opposite," Kara said. "Guess, you couldn't hope for too much from a formula derived from Venom."

Lois recalled Venom as well. She noticed Kara's face scrunched up. Lois leaned in and placed a hand on Kara's.

"There's more, isn't there?" Lois asked.

"How could you tell?" Kara asked.

Lois whistled and smiled at Kara, leaning in towards her.

"Just call it a silly little hunch," Lois said.

Kara sighed, Lois hit the mark full on.

"I ran into Claire tonight….you weren't concussed, you actually saw her."

"Well, I was concussed, but it doesn't mean I didn't see her," Lois said. "You did more than run into her, didn't you?"

"If you mean I talked to her, than yes, I did. Helena, Diana, and I ran into her. She….has been training."

"Did her powers return?"

Kara shook her head and sighed.

"She's become…different, weird different. A new kind of weird different than you're used to Claire being. She's so cold, distant….it's like she's gone full Batman, only worse."

Lois groaned at the thought.

"She's really too far gone, isn't she?" Lois asked.

"I don't know," Kara said. "She's received training from someone….and she's pretty good, even if she doesn't have her powers back. I'm just….I don't know."

Lois noticed how much the last couple of months got to Kara. She made her way to the cabinet and fixed Kara a drink.

"Was going to fix you coffee, but I think you need something a bit stronger to get your thoughts together."

"Thanks," Kara said.

"Not a problem," Lois said.

She placed the drink out in front of Kara. Kara downed the drink and took a long sigh. She cleared her thoughts after a couple of seconds.

"It's just with Intergang, the Joker, Livewire, and the Anti-Vigilante task force all after me….not to mention an invasion from Apokolips….it all happens at once."

"It does," Lois said. "No one said your job was going to be all sunshine and rainbows."

Kara sighed at Lois's casual statement. No one did say her entire life would be sunshine and rainbows, far from it in fact. She raised her hand to the side of her face, brushing the lock of hair away from her face.

"Claire's changed; she's not the Girl Scout we used to know."

"I don't know about her changing, Kara," Lois said. "I mean, she…she can't change too much. It's only been four months."

"She snapped a guy's neck, and killed the Intergang guys…..I have roughed them up a little bit, but….."

Unless the Black Kryptonite warped her mind, Kara knew where to draw the line and when to hold herself back.

"We're going to have to sit down, and have a talk," Kara said. "The problem is finding her."

Kara sighed.

"But, Claire isn't a high priority," Kara said.

"Yes, you have another problem, don't you?" Lois asked.

"Joker shipped something into the city," Kara said. "I ran into his little present, and…..it didn't end too well for me."

Lois raised an eyebrow.

"Understatement?"

"I beat him," Kara said. "But, the Joker's men managed to unload the ship. I don't know how they did it. The Intergang stooges on the dock were just beaten up."

Kara mentally gave the Joker a little bit of credit. The savvy nature of the criminal ensured he would be able to think outside the box.

A buzzing fired off in Kara's ear. Kara sat up straight and listened in close.

"Hey, Kara, it's me."

"What do you have, Barbara?"

* * *

Claire adjusted the frequency. She hacked into the communication between Supergirl and Oracle. She heard her cousin and Barbara talk back and forth.

"So, it's coming into Gotham by air?"

"Yes, it's coming in at three in the morning…..rumors have it, the Joker commissioned it….."

"Do you think he'll gas all of Metropolis?"

"The Joker? Yes I think he'll gas all of Metropolis….it's nothing on the plane, if I had to guess. But rather it's the plane itself."

Claire found herself being grounded to be more difficult. The Joker's final act of his masterpiece was to smuggle a plane.

"Busy night?"

Claire dropped the headset and stood up to her feet. Helena leaned against the wall approaching her.

"You found me."

"You don't seem surprised," Helena said.

Claire raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

"I'm not surprised," Claire said. She crossed the room towards Helena. "You always had a knack of finding people when they didn't want to be found….sorry if this place is a bit makeshift. I didn't intend to stay in Metropolis for too long."

"And you obviously didn't intend to have Kara or Lois see you."

Claire didn't answer. She folded her arms underneath her chest, peering back at Helena.

"Never mind, you answered my question."

Claire moved the laptop out of the way and offered Helena a seat. Helena took it, sitting down next to Claire.

"So, you've known I've been back for a while?" Claire asked.

"I've been searching for you," Helena said. "You've been difficult to find. Who has been helping you?"

"What makes you think I've had help?"

Helena stared down Claire. Much to Helena's surprise, Claire didn't blink at the stare down. Many people melted underneath the look, but Claire sat up straight and proud underneath Helena's gaze.

"You didn't have powers when you left," Helena said. "And I'm guessing you didn't regain them."

"It's a work in progress."

"Which means you've had help."

Claire couldn't dispute Helena's logic. The two of them locked eye to eye with each other.

"The Joker intends to bring a plane into Metropolis."

"Too obvious, even for him," Helena said. "The Joker wouldn't bring a plane in from Gotham City. Even at three in the morning…"

"So, what's his plan?"

"His plan is one last laugh for the entire city," Helena said. She slapped down a file folder. "The last known records from Arkham, of the Joker."

"Wasn't he believed to be dead for years, after your father….."

"Yes," Helena said. "But, there's plenty of clues to indicate he wasn't of the best health before then."

"You mean physically, don't you?"

Claire flipped open the file folder after Helena gave a distinct non-answer. Each piece of information shined out in her face. She frowned as she looked it over.

"You don't have to hold all of this guilt and your anger inside…..take off your mask."

Helena slipped off her mask. At the encouragement, Claire did the same thing.

"After my parents died, I tried to bottle up my emotions. And let's face it, you helped me through some really tough times, you and Diana. Your compassion is one of your defining attributes."

"The compassion caused a lot of problems," Claire said.

"You didn't listen to me," Helena said. "It's helped a lot of people. Instead of running from your demons, or masking yourself, you should face them."

Claire rose up to her feet and for a second, Helena thought she'd walk off.

"Are you walking away from me?"

Claire stopped at the door. The woman turned around, staring down Helena. Helena stepped back for an inch.

"I'm surprised you haven't taken up the mantle of the Bat."

Helena raised her eyebrow. Claire's statement caught her a bit off guard.

"It never struck my mind. I wanted to keep the mantle dead and buried with my father. There's no reason for me to go there."

"It's a shame," Claire said. "You're worthy of the mantle….just like Kara's worthy of the Superwoman moniker now."

Helena didn't say anything for the longest time.

"Did you tell Kara you thought she was worthy?"

Claire didn't say a word.

"You know for someone who has detached herself from all of her emotions; you are the sentimental type."

Helena waited for Claire to say something, anything, but Claire said nothing, not a thing. Helena experienced a bubbling sensation of frustration.

"Have you spoken to your mother at least? Let you know you're okay."

"I'll call her, when I'm ready."

"Martha wouldn't be pleased with how you're acting."

"I said I'll call her when I'm ready."

Helena frowned. She sounded more like Helena on a bad day than Claire sounded like herself. Claire stepped closer towards her.

"If you're done lecturing me….."

"You might not to hear it, but you need to hear it," Helena said. "The way you're acting, you're going down a dark and lonely road. I wonder who taught you to fight like you did."

Claire rolled over the matter in her head. Helena would find out eventually, and if she did, so be it. Claire vowed not to make it too easy on her.

"I've taken a vow not to tell anyone who has been training me."

"I figured as much, swearing an oath like this is dangerous."

"Sounds like you have other problems, namely the Joker," Claire said. "Question is, do you want my help or not?"

"If you're willing."

"I am."

The two exchanged a tense handshake. Claire vanished four months ago, and returned as a completely different person.

A lot could change in four months, mostly because of the fact more than four months passed. By Claire's point of view, a good sixteen months passed thanks to the properties of time dilation offered by her trainer.

* * *

Harley wished she had a whip, but Mistuh J forbid her from carrying one after the chaos from the last time she had a whip.

"Alright, Mistuh J has gotten a nasty little surprise for the people in this town. While the heroes are too busy catching a plane….he's going to complete his masterpiece."

"Right you are, Harley."

The Joker stepped out from the shadows.

"Tonight is going to be the night where I get the last laugh on Metropolis. The day ends with Metropolis as it is now. The new day begins with the entire town being driven mad. But, hey, madness sets you free, doesn't it?"

The Joker cackled at his own words.

"This is for all of the marbles, this is the end game. You're either in or you're all out. There's no turning back now. You have to go the distance!"

The Joker's laughter continued. The Intergang goons scrambled like worker ants in an attempt to get all of the moving pieces in order. With their numbers thinned, they worked twice as hard.

"So, move it or lose it, chumps!" Harley yelled. "For breakfast, I want a bunch of capes on toast!"

"Couldn't have said it better Harley….well I could, but you have such a way with words."

"Gee, thanks puddin'."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on November 13** **th** **, 2015.**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty-Six: The Last Laugh Part One.**

* * *

"Each and every one of us in this city will need to do our part to help bring civilized order back to Metropolis. As Mayor, I've seen many challenges. The biggest one is the fall of a great man, and the unsettling rise of vigilantes who think they're above the law. One of the worst having been Supergirl, who terrorized law abiding citizens with her actions! Do you think because she has the powers to stop people in their tracks, she should get a license to terrorize anyone and everyone she wants? No, she shouldn't, and she won't! I'm going to put my foot down and forbid it! Metropolis will not be a quagmire for delinquency. Elect me as your mayor, show them you won't be bullied by the super powered. What happened to Leslie Willis and Lex Luthor and many others could happen to you!"

Lois's astonishment reached an interesting level. The Mayor said all of the words in one breath. He paced back and forth across the stage. His bodyguards stood, arms crossed on either side.

 _'The hospital just let me out after a concussion,'_ Lois thought. _'And now after the Mayor's speech, why do I have a feeling I'm going to be put back in the hospital when I give myself another one.'_

Lois didn't really know what to think. She noticed something wet dripping on her shoulder. Lois turned her head. Cat drooped over her shoulder, having fallen asleep during the Mayor's diatribe. The younger reporter started to drool on her shoulder.

"Hey, kid, look alive."

Lois pinched Cat, and forced her to wake up. Cat almost fell over in a comical manner. Lois threw her arm out and caught Cat before she slammed onto the ground.

"Sorry, I must have drifted off," Cat said.

"I understand, I swear, he can be the cure for insomnia," Lois said.

Under normal circumstance, Lois would grill the Mayor. Well if she was allowed to, but even if she wasn't. The bodyguards formed a tight ring around the Mayor, preventing him from breaking out.

"Sorry, no questions."

Lois didn't feel the need to press the Mayor too hard. The man's head wedged firmly in his ass, a quality which would not improve as election day lingered closer. The reporter dug her nails into the side of her face.

 _'So, it's going to be one of those days, isn't it?'_

Lois didn't answer her own question. The thoughts going in her mind swam. An attack, she suspected an attack. Chloe mentioned something about Kara and the others having to catch a plane going into Metropolis later tonight.

The Joker really did like making them wait on pins and needles.

Cat winced, and Lois locked her eyes towards the younger reporter.

"I think he's about to give a speech again."

Lois echoed Cat's groans and did the only thing she could think to do. She wrapped her arm around Cat's neck and patted her on the back of her head.

The raven-haired reporter noticed something worst. The Mayor erected a large Jumbo Tron which broadcasted his face. In theory, one could argue it made the Mayor look important. In practice, Lois thought it only called attention to the giant mole on his cheek.

"Ladies and gentlemen, remember tonight, we're here for one reason, and the people of Metropolis….."

"Are bored to death, and would like to hear something more exciting!"

The Mayor's face distorted. The Joker's face remained the Mayor. Almost as if the Mayor turned into the Joker from the perspective of the Jumbotron.

"Sorry to interrupt what I'm sure is a fairly arousing speech, but we have some real talk tonight. And the real talk is, while I've had some laughs, I'm afraid I'm on my last legs."

The Joker's normally jovial expression grew rather remorse.

"Six months ago, I visited a doctor. He gave me six months to live. I gave him six seconds. Turns out both of us were right."

The Joker hacked for a couple of seconds instead of laughing. Traces of green vomit splattered onto his chin. He wiped it up.

"All seriousness folks, all of the toxins, all of the boozes, all the cigars, all of the years fighting the Bat, they all caught up with me. On the way out, I figured I've made one last mark in the world. And what better than to make a mark of the city which prides itself as a bright and sunnier place than Gotham City ever was."

The Clown Prince of Crime snapped his fingers. The balloons out on the streets of Metropolis for the Mayor's celebration popped and released gas into the city. The Joker's laughter echoed.

Lois grabbed Cat by the wrist, and pulled her behind the truck. She rummaged through her bag, pulling out a facemask.

Everyone screamed in madness. The bodyguards half dragged the Mayor out of there, but the crazed people near them scrambled onto the stage. Their arms swung around. The civilians clobbered the security guards, forcing them down to their knees.

The Mayor staggered down the steps, and turned on his heel. The door to his limo opened. The crazed citizens dove at him, nipping at his ankles.

The Metropolis Mayor slammed the door and locked it behind him, breathing in and out.

"Drive, drive!"

Harley Quinn turned around to look at the Mayor in the back seat. A grin crossed her face.

"Hang on, Mister Mayor, it's going to be a long ride. Your last ride!"

She cackled. The Mayor screamed like a little girl.

* * *

Kara placed her hands on her hips, standing beside Diana and Donna. The trio watched, with Chloe on the radio with them.

"Well, so much for the plane coming here," Kara said. I knew it….the Joker outsmarted us!"

Kara looked up for a second, and walked to a warehouse behind them.

"Maybe there isn't a plane, but we're closer to something than you think," Chloe said. "The Joker's men have something in the warehouse behind the airport. Yeah, I'm batting a very low average tonight, but, you've got to give it a shot."

Kara noticed one of the guards inside fall down to the ground. The guard practically fell at her feet. She peered inside the window.

Claire already stood inside. She attached explosive devices on the crates one at a time. She tensed up when Kara walked over and turned to look over her shoulder.

"Kara, you better get out of here," Claire said. "I'm going to blow up whatever are in these crates sky high….I don't care what happens, he's not gaining control of the city."

Kara didn't budge for a second.

"You don't know what's in the crates."

"I know enough about what's in the crates to know the Joker shouldn't be allowed to have them," Claire said. "You, Diana, and Donna all need to leave….and you too as well Helena. I'll handle it from here."

"No, I think I'm staying," Helena said.

The woman kept looking over her shoulder ever couple of seconds. She sensed some trouble, although she didn't know how much trouble there really was. Regardless, she watched Claire's back as always.

"I'm going to stay here," Kara said. She gave her cousin a challenging look. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but you've changed. And I'm not sure if the change is really good."

Claire ignored Kara's words. She started to attach the final explosive device. Raising a hand to her brow, Claire wiped sweat from her face.

Kara cleared her throat. The blonde hovered a few inches above the ground. Diana shook her head, almost as if telling Kara to pick her battles wisely.

The Amazon Princess wasn't entirely too happy with Claire's attitude either. Now was not the time. The Amazon Princess picked up on something. The hairs prickled across the back of her neck for some reason, although she didn't know why.

"Something's really wrong," Diana said.

"Yes, something is really wrong," Kara said. "And it has to do with Claire's attitude and how much it reeks. She's been acting like….."

Nightwing's eyes locked onto Supergirl's. The two of them faced off against each other. The Huntress cleared her throat when she heard the door open up.

A clapping sound echoed throughout the abandoned warehouse. The entire group turned their attention to the gentleman who turned up. The one and only Joker appeared in front of them. The man walked towards them, a spring in his step, and a song dancing in his heart.

"Oh boy, this is a charming little reunion, isn't it?" The Joker asked. "Can you feel it? Can you feel the love tonight? It about makes my stomach want to turn, doesn't it? But, you know, everything is going to be okay. It's going to be pretty swell, isn't it?"

Helena rushed the Joker and nailed him with a roundhouse kick. The Joker slumped to the ground.

After all of these years, the woman thought of one thing. Revenge for all of the pain the Joker caused her. Helena wrapped her hands around the Joker's neck.

Kara frowned. Helena choked out the Joker.

"Something's not right," Nightwing said.

For the first time tonight, Kara agreed with what her cousin said.

"You see….just you thought….you had all of the answers, I went ahead and changed….all of the questions."

Clay tendrils burst free from the Joker's chest. Helena flipped out of the way, sticking a swift landing and landing firmly on his feet. Clayface rose from the depths.

"Behold, one of the grandest performances of my entire career," Clayface said. "Basil Karlo, actor extraordinaire, at your service….."

Clayface shifted his arm into a large hammer and swung it at the heroes. Supergirl ducked her head, rolling out of the way, preventing the hammer from smashing into her.

Perking up, she measured him. The woman's eyes glowed and fired a blast of heat vision at Clayface. The heat vision passed through his body when his chest contorted into a large gaping hole.

* * *

Ella crossed her arms. She wanted to be out in the thick of things. One of Barbara's old Batgirl costumes fit her rather nicely. The black leather of the costume slapped against her body, making a nice form fit on her young body.

Thea, Dinah, and Artemis swept in from behind her.

"Talk about getting thrown into the deep end on my first field mission," Ella said.

"You wanted it, you're going to have to take everything which goes along with it," Dinah said. "But, I don't think….."

The armored thugs moved in through the chaos of the city. One of them blew up the front entrance of a bank. Despite the entire city being in ruins, old thuggish habits ran hard.

Artemis raised her quiver. The Emerald Archer prepared to fire her shot. Dinah raised her hand, preventing Artemis from doing so.

"Not now?" Artemis asked.

Dinah shook her head. She thought an arrow wouldn't work as well. The fishnet clad superheroine positioned herself.

A Canary Cry aimed at the front entrance of the building caused bricks to fall. The Intergang goons stumbled backwards, to avoid the following bricks.

The falling bricks and the subsequent stumbling put them in position for Dinah to attack. She jumped into the air. Her legs split and caught two of the goons with kicks to the side.

Another goon lifted a large laser cannon. Artemis disabled the laser cannon with an arrow to the rest. Thea disabled the goon with an arrow to the non-padded part of his knee. He doubled over.

Ella caught one of the goons with an arrow to the chest, using the crossbow she had. A larger goon rushed her, in an attempt to strangle her. She slid underneath his extended arm. The woman propelled herself onto the goons back and started to fire a series of jabs to the back of his neck.

Another beefy goon grabbed her around the neck and hurled her off to one side. Ella dangled.

"Alright, Batgirl, I have you now….."

She disengaged a grenade from her utility belt. The grenade discharged liquid nitrogen in his face.

Ella shook her head as she slid down to the ground. Okay, she still was getting used to what pouches have what things in them. The woman dodged an attack from another large goon. He smashed into the wall.

Artemis shot her arrows in a triangle motion. It struck three of the goons in the chest, doubling them over onto the ground.

"Do you have any idea what the Joker's doing?" Artemis asked.

Barbara sighed and frowned.

"Not a clue but…."

"I traced the signal!" Felicity chimed in out of nowhere over the communication link. "And I'll relay you the information right now."

Barbara's tone turned fairly salty at Felicity beating her to the punch. The woman's agitation grew to an entirely new level.

"It's not fair, I've got the signal first…and…."

"Hey, you were just a little slower on the draw, you were out in the field too long, and rusty…it happens…"

Dinah heard the squabbling in her ear. She shook her head at the squabbling mission support girl. Linking all of them up at the same time, someone thought it was a good idea, why?

She took out one of the goons with a well placed kick. One of them aimed their weapon at her. She dodged behind him. Dinah grabbed him around the neck and jumped up, bringing the back of his head against the ground with a solid crack.

"I think we took out all of them."

Thea caught one of them with an arrow to the back of the knee. One of them doubled over. She looked over her shoulder, frowning.

"Okay….we've got all of them."

"Given how our luck has been tonight, shall I say it?" Chloe asked. Felicity and Barbara grew silent. "The obvious trap is obvious."

"Do we have a choice?" Dinah asked.

No one needed to answer the question. They knew they didn't have a choice. The screams of Metropolis citizens echoed.

Ella used the sensory vision on her cowl to analyze the scene around her. Her lips curled into an obvious frown.

"Really, more Intergang?"

"Sounds like we might be delayed," Thea said.

Artemis rested her hand on Thea's shoulder. The two archers locked eyes. Loading their bows, they started to fire.

The arrows impacted the ground. A sticky foam released from the arrows which ensnared the Intergang goons.

"My turn."

Dinah shifted her weight and opened her mouth. One well-placed Canary Cry knocked on the goons. Their headpieces protected themselves from ear damage, but the resulting impact knocked them out all of the day.

* * *

Huntress tucked and rolled. She narrowed her eyes as Clayface's arm extended into a wrecking ball and tried to take her head off.

Wonder Woman charged in from the other end. She nailed Clayface with a couple of stinging blasts to the back of the head. A hand reached from Clayface's ass and grabbed Wonder Woman by the throat, before pushing her back against the wall.

Donna tried to rush in. She dodged the tendrils.

"Why do half of these criminals have a hentai fetish?" Donna asked. "Tentacles everywhere!"

She avoided the attack. Kara utilized her ice breath, which caused Clayface to be frozen in place. At least for the moment.

She couldn't breathe too easy. The tendrils underneath the ground started to crack. They shot out in every single direction.

Clayface broke out. Huntress and Nightwing rushed in from either side. Clayface contorted into a blob of mud on the ground and flowed into the other direction.

The monster engulfed several tools on the wall. The razor sharp tools fired at the heroes. Several sharp blades flew at them. Huntress and Nightwing deflected the tools with steady attacks.

"You know what the best part of this all is, don't you?"

Kara groaned. Her heat vision too out a rusty saw in the process. She wished she could use her heat vision to take him out.

 _'Monologue, wonderful, just wonderful? My day couldn't improve any more if I wanted it to.'_

Clayface raised a large hammer, turning both of his arms. He slammed them down onto the ground, forcing the heroes to scatter.

"I've made a better Joker, than the Joker himself….."

Clayface contorted into the Joker for a moment, with a really big gun. He started to fire at the heroes.

Kara cut the gun from his body.

"Oh come on, don't I get the academy award?"

"The Joker won't like it you did his act better than him," Huntress said.

She fired three arrows containing super sticky glue in Clayface's chest. Clayface attempted to rip the arrows out, only for Helena to push a detonator.

Clayface exploded, sending globs of clay splattering all over the walls. The creature rested on the walls, oozing.

"Team B is heading towards the old LexCorp North Factory," Chloe said. "We tracked the signal there."

Kara heard enough background chatter to gather what happened.

"Yeah, I figured about as much….."

"And on another note, whose idea was it to have three mission support people on call at the same time?" Chloe asked. "This is a muddled mess."

Kara couldn't answer the question right now. Clayface reformed himself. He broke into one of the crates, and absorbed one of the canisters into him.

"Please tell me he didn't take what I think he took," Kara said.

Karlo's mass expanded to several times his side. His body became spiked, and his eyes glowed red.

"Yes, now I'm going to crush you!" Clayface yelled.

Kara dodged his beefy fist, in an attempt to take her out.

Diana swung her lasso and wrapped it around Clayface. Clayface's arms rose and caused Diana to fly off to the side. The Amazon Princess crashed down. She bounced to her feet, fearless. Diana fired a series of punches and kicks. She removed a sword from her sheath and swung it, nailing Clayface in the chest with it.

The sword shattered on impact. Clayface grabbed Diana by the throat.

Another trio of sticky arrows caught him in the chest. Helena tried to blow him up again, but his body absorbed the charge.

"You're going to have to do better than…."

Three clunky grenades stuck in his back. Claire pushed a button and released a charge. Clayface's body froze.

"Kara, now!"

Kara flew all the way out of the exit of the warehouse to gain momentum. She came back down like a cork of light, and smashed Clayface in the chest.

Several chunks of ice flew in every direction. The frozen and broken body of Clayface spread out. His particles could not rejoin together. The Titan crippled his ability.

Kara slumped to the ground. She looked at her bruised knuckles. Diana made her way over.

"Are you alright?" Diana asked.

"I should be asking you if you're alright," Kara said. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Claire reached over and slid open the crate. Only one small canister rested in the crate. The word "TITAN" etched on it.

"It's as we feared," Helena said.

"Well, at least the rest of these shipments won't be used," Claire said.

"Actually, no," Helena said.

She broke open the crate and revealed they filled with nothing, but confetti. Clayface used one of the only samples of Titan here to expand his form in an attempt to take them out.

Back to square one, but they had a lead on where the real Joker might be.

* * *

Harley arrived with the mayor at the docks, by the abandoned LexCorp penthouse.

"Alright, this is your stop, get out!"

Harley opened the door and grabbed the Mayor. She threw him out onto the docks. The man breathed heavily, sweat dripping down his face.

"What do you want?" the Mayor asked. "If this about money, I have money….just give me….just tell me."

Harley cracked him on the shoulder, forcing him back down to his knees.

"You politicians make me sick," Harley said. "You think you can buy me off like some common criminal. Well the joke's on you, because there's nothing common about me!"

Harley took the gun out of the holster and pointed it at the terrified gentleman. He slumped to his knees, sweat rolling down his face.

"No, please no, you can't!"

She pointed the gun at him and a loud bang ensued. A flag popped out of the gun, which had the words "HA HA HA" written on it.

The Mayor dropped down, clutching his chest. The gentleman, already ravaged from Harley's crazy driving, succumbed to a heart attack.

"Well, boring, I was going to stab you, but I guess your ticker going out is just going to have to do."

Harley screamed as an arrow shot in the back of her knee. She slumped down to the ground. The Green Arrow grabbed Harley by the throat.

"Too late, Robin Hood, the Mayor's….well he's popped his cogs," Harley said. "And I used to be super villainess before I got an arrow to the knee!"

She laughed at her own joke.

"Where's the Joker?" Arrow asked.

"Please, like I'd ever tell you," Harley said. "I'm sure you'd traced his fake signal, because why would he be there. Mistuh J knows I'd never tell on you….hey…you're not the original Batgirl."

Ella stood at Harley.

"You know something, you're a needy and pathetic bitch."

"And you look like someone who has a few unresolved Daddy issues, but who I am to judge?" Harley asked.

"She doesn't know anything, the Joker wouldn't tell her anything important."

"Well, you don't know jack, because he's staying at Morgan Edge's old penthouse, while he's waiting for the city to burn!" Harley yelled.

Ella curb stomped Harley. She had to admit it felt good, not to hear her voice.

"I'm thinking another trap," Kara said.

"But what if it isn't?" Artemis asked.

"Well, the Joker's going to be more dangerous if he's cornered," Helena said.

The Joker's grand plan for Metropolis barely began to unfold. Only they had no idea what the plan was.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on November 17** **th** **, 2015.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Last Laugh Part Two.**

* * *

Chaos resounded all throughout Metropolis. The screams of terror of the people echoed. The screams ceased seconds and a round of unsettling silence followed. Other than a slight giggle breaking through the silence, everything sounded pretty good. But at the same time, it became unsettling.

Donna showed up, being sent off by Diana and Kara in an attempt to help with people. Artemis, Elle, and Dinah struggled to keep up with everything. The rumor reached her two Titan powered thugs had been released in downtime Metropolis. While they could not confirm it, the thought caused her to frown

The medics showed up to help up. Several civilians ran around. One of them jumped at a medic. He turned from tranquil to insane in a matter of seconds. The man reached towards him, with an attempt to crawl his eyes out.

Donna grabbed the civilian, and tried to restrain him. The civilian started to breath in and out. The Amazon Princess's arm wrapped around the man's neck in an attempt to restrain him. The man struggled in an attempt to break out, but Donna brought the man down to his knees.

"Hold him here, we need to sedate him."

One of them injected the man with a large needle. The man's pupil's dilated as his knees buckled. The paramedics escorted them to a makeshift tent.

"Thank you," one of the paramedics said. "We're understaffed….because a few of us were in the crowd at the Mayor's rally and became infected."

Donna sighed, she figured as much. The city didn't staff their medics, but they spent a lot of money on their Anti-Vigilante Task Force.

 _'Something tells me some people have misplaced priorities.'_

One of the civilians sprang up from a bench, like a banshee. His arms raised up. Donna rushed over to protect the paramedics. She restrained the civilian the best she could. The woman turned around. She pinned the civilian's arms back into a full nelson, shrugging him down to the ground.

Donna stepped back and allowed sedation.

"Hera, give me strength for this one," Donna said.

Donna noticed Artemis in the shadows. The Amazon Princess didn't want to leave the Paramedics, but talking to the archer looked to be at high priority.

Maggie Sawyer brushed past her, along with Turpin. The two of them showed up under the roll of civilians, despite being suspended from the MCU.

Donna crossed the city. Artemis shifted her arms across her chest.

"We have Quinn," Artemis said.

"Oh, good?" Donna asked. "Is it just me or is it unsettling the Joker hasn't made so much of a peep in almost an hour?"

"It isn't just you," Artemis said. "We're investigating a lead, which puts him at Morgan Edge's old penthouse."

This news caused everyone to be a slight bit confused.

"No one's been there since Edge was put in prison?" Donna asked.

"Which would make it the perfect setup for the Joker to hide out," Chloe said. "Or the perfect diversion…and you'll never guess who ran off in an attempt to check it out."

"Old habits die hard, don't they?" Donna asked. "So, is there any news about the Titan monsters which the Joker has unleashed into the city?"

Donna heard a loud scream. Another civilian snapped into temporary insanity, and rushed forward. Artemis armed her bow. She took extra care not to injure the civilian. She closed her eyes and fired an arrow at the knee of her enemy. One crisp shot nailed the civilian in the leg, doubling him over.

The civilian dropped to the ground, an aching pain occurring as he landed to the ground. On the bright side, the pain snapped him out of what wave of madness took hold of him.

"Pain or sedation, looks to be the two ways to snap them out of whatever the Joker infected them with," Chloe said.

"And here I thought he infected them with his usual toxins," Barbara said. "Have we been able to get a clear reading in the city?"

"Yes, and we're trying our best to get together an antidote," Felicity said. "But it's one of those things which is going to take time. And I'm not sure how much time we have now."

One of the crazed civilians brandished a knife. The man charged a group of children, who cowered. One of them screamed out for his mother.

Donna's blood ran cold as she saw a woman on the ground, stab wounds all over her body. The crazed gentlemen rushed to do the same to the children.

"Take a nap!"

Turpin nailed the crazy in the back of the head.

"Looks like this sick fuck decided to take advance of the craziness by getting his jollies on. He's not going to do it for much longer though."

Turpin wrestled the man to the ground, where the MCU showed up.

"We have a Green Arrow sighting…."

"Yeah, I saw her as well, saved someone from getting run over by one of the infected," Turpin said.

"You're suspended Turpin," one of them said.

Turpin kicked the lunatic in the balls and doubled the man over.

"Hey, if you're going to arrest me, at least do it for a good reason."

"He's right, we have far bigger problems to worry about," Maggie said.

The night was far from over as more crazies started to stalk the city and torment the people of New York.

* * *

The Joker scurried around in the sewers, about the furthest location possible away from Morgan Edge's penthouse. He strutted around with a spring in his step, whistling a jaunty tune.

The Clown Prince of Crime craned his neck, watching his henchmen start to lug some big tanks. One of them looked like his ankles were about to roll.

"Go over there, and give him a hand, Chuck."

Chuck almost corrected Joker, saying his name wasn't Chuck, it was Fred, but the thug remembered what happened to the last man who corrected the Joker on such a trifling manner. After thinking better of it, he nodded, eager to please.

"Sure thing boss, I'll get right on it."

Joker checked his watch. The second act of the show would start, and soon act three would take place. The final curtain would drop on Metropolis, and the Joker would go out with a bang. Taking thousands of people with him, it was going to be amazing, and shocking.

The final curtain dropping on Metropolis would lead to a most magnificent event. The Joker rubbed his hands together. The Clown Prince of Crime found himself to be about as giddy as a schoolgirl. The clown's excitement hit a brand new fever pitch.

The Joker's eyes narrowed as he continued the observation of his men.

"Remember, you drop them, and I cut you. I went to a lot of work smuggling them into the city, and I'm not going to be very pleased if my plan didn't end up working."

One of the men tried his best not to drop the container. Easier said than done to be honest, but his breath continued to heighten. The container started to slip from his hand, and he only came precious inches away from dropping it.

"Careful," one of the men said.

The Joker watched them set the fifth container up. All he would need is one more and the Joker's grand plan was about to formulate itself. The clown's lips curled into a devious smile, even more so than usual.

All work and no play made Joker a dull boy. He was going to get his kicks one way or another. Each and every night, he worked hard for the end game. It was a shame really, Batman didn't have a chance to see the fruits of the Joker's labor. Ah well, Joker was sure he looked up from the pits of hell the Joker sent him too.

"And bring in the last two."

Seven tanks, a very lucky number, if the Joker said so himself. He leaned against the wall and coughed, when his thugs didn't look. Show one moment of weakness, and they would eat you alive. Some of these thugs made their bacon in Metropolis, but others were Gotham City born and bred.

Some tried to leave Gotham to get away from the Joker. You can take the boys out of Gotham, but you couldn't take Gotham out of the boys, at least as far of the Joker was concerned.

One the man looked sluggish.

"What's the matter, Fred?"

"My name's not friend, it's Chuck."

"Well, Fred, you want to correct me at such a pivotal time," Joker said. "Guess, you're dead, Fred."

The Joker shot the man dead. A large hole blew through his head when blood splattered.

"He didn't look like he had much left in the tank anyway, better put him out of his misery."

Two of the boys held open the gateway, making sure the others lugged what appeared to be a heavy tank on through. The Joker's lips curled into a smile as he watched them.

"Well, six down, only one more to go."

"Be a lot easier if Quinn was here," one of the men grumbled.

"Harley has a very important job," Joker said. "She's driving the mayor down town….although she should have been back by now."

The Joker twiddled his thumbs and sighed.

"Oh well, must mean the heroes swallowed the bait, and they'll be on their way to the Penthouse any moment. Guess, they're going to be in for quite the nasty shock when they realize I've already moved out."

The Joker started to laugh, but grew serious.

"Good thing I left them a nice little house warming gift, to show there are no hard feelings for unwelcomed, uninvited guests."

The clown's laughter escalated. He watched the man set up the sixth tank. Life proved to be a blast, but the real blast would happen in about three hours, when the sun rose on Metropolis.

* * *

Claire remembered her training. Her mentor warned her all about the art of the deception. Claire figured her mentor forgot more about the art of deception then many people would remember.

She walked up to Morgan Edge's penthouse. Already she sensed something off. The woman reached the entrance and opened it up.

Claire slipped a dagger into her hand, and threw it into the room. It hit a black box on the table. The box opened and started to grind and hiss.

The former super powered woman rushed towards the nearest window. She jumped through the window. The window shattered into several pieces, and cut her face.

Kara caught her before she could grapnel out of the building. Claire's gaze met her cousin, with a burning amount of agitation.

"I could have gotten out," Claire said.

"Sure you could have…."

Kara shielded Claire as the building exploded. Helena and Diana joined the two. A large smiley face blew up on the building. The letters LOL blinked over the building.

"He's not as inspired as he used to be," Helena said. She clutched her fist.

"So, it was a trap," Kara said.

"Always a chance he made it too obvious, and didn't make it a trap," Claire said.

Kara opened her mouth; it took her several seconds to wrap her head around the logic. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Fine, you have a point," Kara said. "Are you happy?"

"Brace yourself, another public service announcement is coming through from the Joker," Chloe said.

"We have it isolated to twenty probable locations," Barbara said.

"Actually, seventeen," Felicity said. "I picked out the redundancies in your locations."

"Well, at least we have less," Barbara said.

"No need to sound so cross."

"And if you're up at this time of the evening, you must be on pins and needles, for the next installment of everyone's favorite show, the Joker's happy time fun spectacular hour of glee!"

The Joker's smiling face cropped up on big screens for the entire world to see. The girls looked skyward. A large blimp passed over them, tagged with a Joker smile. On the blimp, a screen showing the Joker's face appeared.

Kara flew up to get a better look. Unfortunately, the Joker stood in a blank room, offering no clues to where he broadcasted from.

"So, all tonight, we've had some laughs, we've had some giggles, and we've had an even few guffaws. All in the name of me keeping a few steps ahead of some meddling heroes."

The Joker's grin started to fade for a few seconds.

"The time is ticking though; we don't have much time to spend together. The old body can't take years of consequence and bad habits. Don't ever fall into a chemical bath kids, trust me on this one. It's really bad for your health!"

Claire ignored the Joker's words. She sent a signal, and waited for the feedback. The woman's hand curled over the edge of the device in her hand. Time ticked by, one second at a time.

"And now, I'm ready to drop the final curtain on the fine people of Metropolis. Everyone, say your goodbyes, because you're going out with a blast. The greatest controlled experiment in chaos….you thought my little festive surprise for the Mayor and his rally was the tip of the iceberg. No, it was just a teaser to keep the heroes occupied."

"Chloe, do you have this location on your probable lists?" Claire asked.

A long pause followed where Chloe checked the location. The woman gasped.

"Figures, he'd be in the sewer with all of the other rats," Chloe said.

Kara fluttered down, and hit the ground. Her arms folded.

"You mean to tell me, he's been under our noses pretty much all this time," Kara said.

"Pretty much," Helena said. "We should have figured out the obvious, and should have figured out he hid himself underneath our noses."

Dinah jumped into the communication with a report.

"So, we've…calmed down a lot of the city, and Harley has been cuffed and brought downtown. So, do you need our help?"

"Keep an eye on the people," Helena said.

"Agreed," Kara said. "I just think it's the calm before a storm."

Storm clouds rolled into Metropolis, almost as if to illustrate her point. Kara sighed, things would be bound to get worse, before they got better, at least she had a feeling they were. Her knuckles clutched until they turned white.

"Claire?" Kara asked.

"Yes."

"No matter what, can I trust you to have my back?"

Claire stood up straight.

"I might not be able to give you full details where I was, but yes, Kara, tonight, I have your back."

Kara hoped Claire didn't go off the script.

"Good and I need you to trust I have a plan."

* * *

The group walked down into the sewers. Diana stopped short, the stench almost overwhelming the Amazon Princess. And Diana thought she had her head on her shoulders firmly. The woman took a lot.

"Okay, I enjoy a good hunt…."

Helena raised her hand for a second. She motioned for Kara to step in. Kara squinted her eyes, using X-Ray vision.

"Ground is uneven," Kara said. "Everyone stand behind me."

Claire, Diana, and Helena stood behind her. Kara pursed her lips and blew on the ground likely.

A crude trap operated with several poison tipped darts shot out. Kara crouched down to avoid them. The darts hit the ground.

"So, what do we do now?"

Kara heard the voices coming. She peered through the vent. Several of the Joker's men started to pace around. One of them panted, being a little on the overweight side. He slumped down on the ground, his knees aching in a rather painful way.

"You know, I'm not sure. After the last guy who questioned the Joker got his head blown off, I'm not about to stir the hornet's nest."

"Can't believe someone would have the balls to question the Joker about a name."

Helena crouched down. She plugged a portable computer into the wall. Several sensors had been set up in the sewer.

The Joker planned this for months, obvious. Many months as it turned out, from what she could see. Helena noticed the sewer pipes had been treated with gas. One wrong move would poison them all.

"So, can we proceed?" Kara asked.

"All clear, at least in this sector," Helena said. "Each area of the sewer is linked up separately. If we have to move to another area….."

"We have to hack it separately," Kara said.

Nothing proved to be too simple. The group of goons came down the tunnel. Kara, Diana, Helena, and Claire made themselves scarce.

"One of the boss's traps got set off."

"Yeah, not sure why…no one's around…unless some rat tripped the trap."

"Well, we have to check. You wouldn't want to be on the boss's bad side."

"With the Joker, does he have a good side?"

"I don't know if he has a good side, but I don't think you want to be on his bad side, do you?"

The goons all shook their heads. The last thing they wanted was to be on the Joker's bad side. Talk about a scary place for anyone to be. The goons scurried down the tunnel, and checked and double checked where they wanted to go.

"No one, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse."

Claire grabbed the thug who slumped against the wall to catch his breath around the mouth. She dragged him into the shadows.

All of the goons scurried around, seeing their body go around. Helena thumped the one to the back across the back of the head.

Two more thugs knocked heads, and Kara added her contribution to take him out. The thugs were dragged into the shadows.

The leader of the pack looked up, in surprise. His fellow goons dropped down in seconds. He drew his sidearm and pointed it at the shadows.

"Come on, I know you're there. If you want some come…."

He fired a shot, losing his nerve. A pair of bracelets deflected it. The raven-haired Amazon Princess lurched forward and gripped him by the throat. She lifted him off of the ground.

Diana only needed to hold him up, to make him pass out. The man slumped down onto the ground, gasping from the agony.

"There's going to be more," Helena said.

Diana raised her eyebrow, but said nothing. The group of four made their way to the next tunnel, realizing the time ticked down.

* * *

"Oh, jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg, the Batmobile lost a wheel, and the Joker got away, HEY!"

The Joker linked the tanks together in a remote control device. The door broke down, and he turned around. Supergirl, Nightwing, Huntress, and Wonder Woman entered the chamber. The Joker raised an eyebrow.

"You know, if I would have known you were coming, I would have baked a cake! A WHOLE CAKE! And you would have all eaten it up too, wouldn't you have?"

The Joker realized he was down one goonsquad. The group crowded around him.

"Go ahead, beat me to a pulp, I'm going to die anyway. But, you see, in about three minutes, nothing you do matters….because….you see….well you saw the canister, didn't you?"

"We saw you're smuggling Titan into Metropolis," Huntress said. She slipped her hand behind her back and established a remote jamming signal on the bombs.

"You see, it's more than just smuggling Titan. I mixed the Titan with the toxin, and the end result is a much of smiling idiots with Roid Rage who alternate between joy and anger. They giggle while smashing your baby's face in. Isn't it going to be grand? And you just…."

Supergirl punched the Joker in the face. The Joker whipped back, smacking against the wall hard with a sick thud.

In an instant, Helena picked up the remote setup, and hacked into it. She started to cancel the relay signal.

"So, you just punched out the Joker?" Diana asked.

"Well, sometimes the direct approach…."

"You see, the first rule of…."

Claire nailed him, and caused him to fly into the spikes nearby. The spikes impaled into the Joker. The clown's sickening blood flowed from his body.

"You killed him?" Helena asked.

"Someone had to," Claire said. "We don't have much time."

Helena disabled the bomb on the tanks, with a full minute to spare. Much less time than normal, and she breathed due to it.

"We're going to have to get them out of here, and dispose of them," Diana said.

"Shouldn't be too hard, but first."

Huntress realized the Joker still breathed somehow. The Joker lifted his arm. The entire right side of his body turned numb from one Supergirl punch and he bled out from getting impaled. He clung onto life just barely. He reached up his sleeve, pulling out an injector.

"You see, first rule of business, you always have a backup strategy."

Supergirl tried to rush over, but the needle already implanted in the Joker's arm. The green fluid inside injected into the Joker.

"Ah, really hit the spot, that did! Lacks the elegance of my last plan, but, it's what you get for being such party poopers."

The Joker's wounds healed and he rose to his feet. His clothes started to rip with his muscles bulging out. A large hulking version of Joker, with bloodshot eyes stared them down.

"You spoiled my fun. Now, I'm going to wreck yours!"

The four heroines braced themselves for the Joker, his top ripping off. By some miracle, his pants remained on, if not a little bit stretched.

"So, have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light?"

* * *

 **To Be Continued on November 20** **th** **, 2015.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Last Laugh Part Three.**

* * *

Dinah expected a really big boom to happen. Other than a random amount of craziness, from a civilian who still hadn't quite staved off the Joker toxin infection, everything remained quiet. The sun almost rose on Metropolis, and it remained to be seen whether or not the Joker's plan would come to pass.

The heroine prepared herself. Needless to say, spending a good chunk of her time fighting crime in Gotham City put her head to head with the Joker more times than she would care to remember. The heroine braced herself for a rather disturbing impact.

"Oracle to Canary?" Oracle asked. "So far, our primary squad hasn't checked in. The Joker had something really big down there the last time I checked."

"I'm not sure what it could be…and if they're down there….well I'm sure they haven't gotten into too much trouble," Black Canary said.

The Anti-Vigilante task force finally gave them room to breathe. Sure the implication they would once again start hammering them hard when the Joker returned hit the crew, but Dinah allowed them to have the moment.

The two archers stepped in. Thea stepped towards her to report.

"So?" Dinah asked.

Dinah waited a long moment for Thea to respond. The pause proved to be very unsettling.

"So far, so good," Thea said. "At least, there's no sign of the Joker up here."

"We have to wait for Batgirl to come here," Artemis said.

"Batgirl?" Oracle asked.

Dinah instantly could tell by the sound of Barbara's voice she was not too happy about the Batgirl name.

"Well, our newest team member needed a codename, and one of your older costumes fit her as well," Dinah said. "Oracle, I really didn't have any options."

Speaking of which, Ella made her way there. She looked sour, in a purple version of Batgirl's costume, with a bright yellow Bat symbol on it. Artemis and Thea exchanged a look of supreme triumph with each other.

"Yeah, you think I deserved this, didn't you?" Elle asked. "I can't believe you wore something like this….a darker color would work better, for the entire stealth thing, wouldn't it?"

"Well, it would, but hey, don't know the classics," Oracle said. "And besides, if you were really stealthy, you should be able to pull it off, regardless of what color you wore. At least, it's the plan."

"Yeah, whatever," Ella said. She folded her arms, sticking out her lip. Artemis placed her hand on her shoulder.

"At least we haven't run into any problems," Artemis said. "Only a few crazed civilians, at least….."

A rumbling underneath ground almost prompted Artemis to fall flat on her face. Thea gripped Artemis by the hand, but the two archers tumbled over.

"Okay, I think you spoke too soon," Thea said. "Way too soon."

Dinah braced herself. She stood in front of the trio of girls. The ground started to crack behind them. She didn't falter, she didn't flinch an inch. The fishnet clad heroine showcased the leadership qualities which developed over time.

The ground underneath them burst. Dinah stepped back, and saw the sight of Supergirl flying out of the ground. She bounced about ten feet into the air and slammed back against the pavement denting it.

A large pale fist cracked the ground. The figure yanked himself above the ground. Dinah edged back in time to notice the Joker dragging himself from the depths underneath the streets. He pulled Diana out from underneath the ground with him. She latched onto his foot, and managed to pull him back.

"Hey, Wonder Woman, sorry, you can't ride the Joker express!"

The pumped up Joker picked up Wonder Woman and hurled the Amazon Princess over his back like a pin-pong ball. Wonder Woman landed behind an overturned car. She hoisted the car above her head, and hurled at the Joker.

The Joker laughed as he caught the car with his bare hands. A menacing look flashed over the face of the Clown Prince of Crime. He lifted the car up over the top of his head to bench press it.

"Oh you want to pay catch? Here, have some fun here!"

Joker hurled the car right towards a group of police officers. The car hurled towards them, pretty much burning rubber in mid-air. The lives of Metropolis's finest flashed before them.

Supergirl rose from the ground. She sped, and caught the car. She set it down to the ground.

"GO!" Supergirl yelled.

She couldn't believe they all stuck around and waited for the Joker to roll them over.  
X-X-X  
The Joker's night started to take a turn for the better. Sure the almost dying thing pretty much sucked his life. Who knew Wingnut, or whatever she was calling herself, packed such sharp teeth. The Joker's back impaled into the sharp metal, drawing blood from him. It looked to be the end, but it wasn't over.

His little concoction pumped him up. The Clown Prince felt good about himself, even knocking Supergirl around. The Bat's Brat laid in the tunnels beneath, buried alive.

Oh, and a wild Wonder Woman jumped on his back now. She tried to put the Joker asleep.

"I told you, no free rides!"

The Joker sprung up into the air and slammed himself down. He jarred Wonder Woman off of his back. The Amazon Princess dropped to the ground.

Diana, refusing to let go, charged the Joker. The Joker blocked her punch. The strength of the Amazon overrode the Titan enhanced strength of the Joker.

The Joker grimaced as Wonder Woman slammed his arm back. She fired a rapid fire series of punches, rocking him. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, trying to lift him up the ground.

"Sorry, too big to go up."

Supergirl dove down from the heavens above. She dropkicked the Joker in the face, as Wonder Woman launched him over the top of her head. A huge suplex dropped the Joker on the back of his head.

"Oh, it worked out the kinks in my neck…thanks Wonder Chick!"

The Joker lifted up a large section of the street and swung it. Supergirl dodged it and used her heat vision to burn through it. The Joker dodged the heat vision blast and prevented it from slicing into him.

A bloodied hand pulled herself up from the streets underneath. A battered Helena Wayne appeared on the streets. She planted an explosive device near where the Joker fought Supergirl and Wonder Woman.

"Sorry to put the squeeze on you!" Joker yelled.

He laughed at his own bad joke, wrapping his thick arms around the two heroines with a massive bearhug. The two women struggled out of his grip. The Joker cranked on their waists, pushing his arms against them.

"Sorry, going to have to drive you breathless!" Joker yelled.

Supergirl swung her arm. She cracked Joker in the face. The grip released both Wonder Woman and the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime stepped onto an explosive mine, which dropped him to his knees.

"Okay, you asked for it. No more mister nice guy."

The Joker lifted a van over his head. With immense strength he hurled it, in an attempt to take the heroes out. They dodged the attacks.

"FIRE!"

Artemis launched three arrows into the Joker's chest. The Clown looked up, a frown crossing his face. The three arrows stuck into his chest. They only barely penetrated him.

The Joker laughed as the arrows stuck in his chest.

"What are…."

BOOM! Artemis hit the detonator, which knocked the Joker back. He screamed as a large hole in his chest took a long time to heal. The Joker waved his arms, blood spilling from his mouth from this vicious attack.

Supergirl added a blast of heat vision to the ground. The Joker bounced around, a hot foot causing him to stagger.

A Canary Cry launched the Joker through a large truck. Supergirl used her heat vision to detonate the fuel spilling from it.

A large explosion engulfed the Joker and caused him to bounce back even more. He started to breath heavily, but he pulled himself to his feet.

Sensing a moment of weakness, Supergirl pounced. She grabbed the Joker around the throat and super sped him halfway across the city, and way past the city limits.

She bounced him up into the air and nailed him with a huge punch to the jaw. The impact caused several bones in Kara's hand to shatter. She didn't think such a thing would be possible for a Kryptonian, but the agony racked through her hand.

The punch staggered the Joker. His loud rumbling laughter echoed, at least to the point where he stepped on an explosive mine.

The explosion forced the Joker to lose his footing. Kara caught a glimpse of Claire out of the shadows. The two cousins locked eyes for the briefest of seconds.

Supergirl struck whilst the iron was hot. She hoisted the Joker high into the ground. Hitting the highest velocity imaginable, she flew him into the sky. High as she could go, to the point where the two of them resembled two large dots.

The Joker suffocated in mid-air, the Titan overwhelming his body. It burned through too much of him, leaving him stinging. His nostrils flared.

Supergirl held her breath high above the ground, and braced herself for reentry. She grabbed the Joker around the head and propelled herself to the ground.

The Girl of Steel implanted the Joker through the streets in the abandoned section of Metropolis off to the side. The vibrations resulted in the Joker being planted through the street.

Supergirl rolled over, wincing from the pain. Her costume almost burned off, leaving a few tattered remains. A few tattered remains held up by the sheer force of good luck.

And a flashbulb indicated pictures of her in this state of undress were going on the Internet. Oh well, Kara couldn't say she didn't see it coming.

She peered down. The Joker's busted body remained in the hole. Blood spilled from his mouth as he turned into a more normal, if not slightly bulked up version of his former self.  
X-X-X  
Some time passed between the time Supergirl took down her adversary and now. EMTs dragged the Joker's charred body out of the hole. They tried to revive him, but he passed on after getting planted through the ground like a grotesque tree.

The ruins of the Metropolis streets showed the aftermath of this battle. They hauled the Joker onto the stretcher. His battered body rested on the stretcher, immobile when they strapped him in.

"I feel like he's going to wake up and strangle one of us."

"Now, you're just being absurd," one of the EMTs said.

The EMT who spoke didn't think he was too absurd. He folded his arms, waiting for him. The tales told about the Joker from Gotham City put him in an uneasy mood.

Amongst the crowd, Kara slipped into her civilian attire. She caught Lois watching. Cat made her way to the edge of the crowd, looking in shell shock. Kara couldn't fault the young reporter for being terrified.

If she was on the outside looking in, Kara would feel an immense amount of trepidation as well. Seeing the Joker's body lifted from the hole made things seem so final. Yet, in a same way, Kara thought it was just the end of one chapter, and the beginning of a brand new chapter. She couldn't tell what, she couldn't tell how, but it was.

Helena slipped from her position. The two girls walked off. The others recovered from the battle, having returned to the penthouse.

"I have to ask you an honest question," Kara said.

"Depends on what it is, if you want me to give you an honest answer," Helena said. She reached towards Kara.

"Is this the last we've seen of the Joker?" Kara asked. "I mean, he looks pretty dead to me, but I don't know."

Time passed slowly, almost to the point where Kara wondered if it slowed down. Helena and Kara walked away from the crowd. Hard to maneuver in the debris sure, but they had to try.

"If you believe the Joker is one man, he's done," Helena said. "If you believe the Joker is an idea, a symptom of a greater ill in the world, then….there will be another. Someone else will take up the mantle of a villain."

The urban legend whispered around Gotham City described the Joker as an ancient entity beyond all comprehension and description. Helena agreed with the description for some reason. She couldn't put her finer on why.

"And what do you believe in?" Kara asked.

"We're just going to have to wait and see," Helena said.

The two women, along with the crowd watched the Joker's broken body being hauled into the van.

"Going to be buried at Arkham," one of EMTs said.

"I'd burn him, and throw the ashes in space," another EMT said.

Kara would have to agree with the statement. She sensed something else happened and Helena would need to tell her.

"Quinn escaped, she wasn't tied up where we left her."

Kara frowned, looks like the adventure continued.

* * *

Lois returned to the Daily Planet. She staggered into the workplace, feeling fairly dead on her feet. She didn't want to be here, really, after the night which passed, but she had to be here. The story burned underneath her fingertips.

She made her way to the front desk. Thankfully, the Daily Planet wasn't caught in the blast zone. Not it would stop Perry from doing his job. The news business never slept after all.

Did she witness the last laugh of the Joker? Lois didn't know. The reporter could only begin to speculate and she hated to do so. She passed Cat on her way to the office. Both women exchanged a weak smile with each other. Lois turned the corner of the office and kept walking.

She almost ran smack dab into Claire Kent, who entered the office. The woman she hadn't seen, outside of costume, in six months.

Lois played in as cool as possible. She didn't freak out, she refused to start screaming. She refused to let everything get to her, knowing what would happen if she did. The reporter's violet eyes stared straight ahead, meeting the taller woman's bright blue eyes. Both women locked into an intense staring contest, neither of them backing off from each other.

"So, hello," Claire said.

After all of these months, which seemed like an eternity, a simply, "so, hello" was all Lois received. She couldn't believe the nerve of Claire. She wanted to punch her, kick her, something she wanted to do something.

The woman's body deflated, she couldn't handle everything any more. Cat's eyes turned towards Claire before Lois could respond with a cutting comment.

"Oh, my, you're Claire Kent!" Cat said. The girl's excitement bubbled over. "I can't believe….well I can believe you're here, but you're a legend around the Daily Planet!"

Claire smiled as she looked over the cute blonde reporter. She had a fair amount of energy to her and a lot of pep. Of course, Perry assigned her to work with Lois, because it was the sort of thing Perry did to test his reporters. If Cat could maintain her passion after working with Lois, then she'd be alright.

"And you must be…."

"Oh Catherine Grant, but call me Cat, everyone does," Cat said.

She grabbed Claire's hand and shook it. She bounced up and down. Claire's eyes looked over Cat.

"So, what are you doing here, Claire?" Lois asked.

Claire turned to Lois with a cordial glance.

"Just stopping in to say hello to everyone," Claire said.

"You're not here to get your job back?" Cat asked. The girl bit down on her lip in worry. It took a moment for her to realize how she sounded. Cat backtracked in a hurry. "I mean, you deserve getting your job back, but…..it's just, I'll have to move out of my desk, which is your desk, which I really like your desk, it's such a nice desk."

Cat descended onto a full amount of babbling. Lois shook her head for a moment. She made her way over to check her story.

"Claire you and I….need to talk."

Claire vanished as quickly as she appeared. Lois groaned, she took cues from the Bat family.

"She's gone?" Cat asked. "I wanted to ask her about something."

"Yeah, she's not one to stick around and answer questions," Lois said. "Pretty much how she's always been."

Only this time, Claire decided to really duck and run at the worst possible time. Lois sighed, the mounting frustrating really getting to her to be honest.

She did figure Claire had a few things at their apartment. And if Lois's hunch was correct, she could catch Claire there pretty soon. And if she hurried, she would be able to meet her.

* * *

Kara groaned as she sank down in the bathtub. The bubbles and the warm water surrounded her. A long last couple of nights passed. The large tub allowed her ample room to stretch her legs. The girl thought about the last couple of nights which were.

Actually last couple of nights was nothing compared to the last several weeks or the last few months. Kara stepped up her game as Supergirl and had plenty of help from her friends. She just wished….well it didn't matter what she wished.

Kara encountered her cousin a couple of times recently. She wishes she hadn't in a way, because Claire's attitude changed. The fun loving cousin died when she had her powers stripped. Kara longed to have her back, but knew it was a long road if it ever happened.

And whatever training she received, pushed her back.

A knock on the door brought Kara out of her thoughts.

"Come in," Kara said.

She didn't really care who came in right now. The door clicked open and Diana entered. She wore an extravagant silk robe, coming down towards the mid-point of her thighs. The robe showcased a wonderous amount of flesh. A mouth-watering variety which caused Kara to smile.

The Amazon Princess flipped her silky black hair out of her face. She walked over and sat on the edge of the tub.

"You look tense."

Kara's lips curled into a frown. Diana meant well, but she spoke the obvious.

"Mind if I join you?"

Kara nodded. She understood Diana's intentions and embraced them in an instant.

"Plenty of room in here for both of us."

Diana stripped off her robe. The Amazon's toned and firm body revealed itself. Perfect breasts, nice perfect ass, and long legs. She made her way into the tub right across from Kara. She scooted in as close as they could.

"Hopefully, we can get some rest now," Diana said.

"Crime doesn't sleep," Kara said.

Diana's lips curled into a smile. She leaned in and planted a kiss on Kara's lips. Kara closed her eyes, feeling a bit dazed at Diana's actions.

"Careful, you're starting to sound like Helena," Diana said.

Diana placed her hands on Kara's knees and started to run her hands on her legs. She slowly massaged the flesh.

Kara tilted her head back and moaned at Diana's efforts. Her efforts made Kara's body shake with desire. The woman's nipples hardened.

"Do you like what I'm doing, Kara?"

"I like it, oh Rao, I really like it," Kara said.

Her eyes flooded over in a haze of lust with Diana running her hands over. Kara's hips lifted up.

"Sound mind is one of the best things for a warrior," Diana said. "And as my sister in arms, it's my responsibility to make sure you're in your sound mind when you go out and fight whatever you need to fight. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me."

Diana's able hands worked up past Kara's thighs. She stopped short of reaching the forbidden garden between her legs.

Kara leaned in and caught Diana's plump lips with her soft lips. The two of them exchanged a passionate kiss. Their tongues clashed together. Both of them tried to dominate the other, with Kara winning the battle ever so slightly.

Diana slid closer to Kara. Her large breasts pressed against Kara's soapy breasts. The two of them exchanged an even more passionate kiss with each other.

"I think you're very tense," Diana said, after she broke the kiss. "And you need a little help….let me work out the most tension."

Diana's hands roamed Kara's body and eased their way closer towards the promise land, with Kara screwing her eyes shut, preparing for the pleasure which would follow.

* * *

Desaad looked over from his point. The Joker fell after the battle, but he left Metropolis in chaos. The sadistic torturer could appreciate the destruction given in the city.

The man paced back and forth, to the point where he wore out the floor. Craning his neck out, he looked at the dark storm clouds rolling over the city.

She loved to keep him waiting. The sadistic torturer understood the point right then and there. He checked the time.

The portal opened up. Desaad shielded his eyes. The rotund woman exited the portal and walked towards him.

"You're on time as usual," Desaad said.

One might be able to hear the sarcasm in his voice. Regardless, the mannish looking woman stepped towards him.

"Dear, Desaad, you must not be cross. Dear Granny hated to keep you waiting, but a situation has presented itself. The war has gotten even worse."

"Soon, the tables will turn," Desaad said.

He had his own plans to gain favor as Darkseid's most loyal servant. Those plans didn't involve bowing down to the likes of Granny Goodness, not if he could help it. The two locked eyes with each other.

"Yes, my dear Desaad," Granny Goodness said. "Earth will be the perfect battleground for us….with our poor master being banished from his throne. Awful, we have to wait for the proper moment to resurrect him."

"The first phase of our plan has succeeded," Desaad said.

"Indeed, and onto phase two," Granny said.

The woman's sadistic cackles resounded at the thought of all of the torment they would bring. But, dear old Granny would make everything better.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on November 24** **th** **, 2015.**


	39. Chapter 39

_Vote for the 2015 story of the year in my profile poll. Voting closes on December 31st, 2015. Don't delay, vote today!  
_

 **Chapter Thirty-Nine: Cleaning Up.**

* * *

"Metropolis is in a state of emergency after this past weekend. The citizens are discouraged from venturing outside of their homes after dark. Several lower level Metropolis gangs have spent their time taking up residence in the former Intergang strongholds in an attempt to seize even more power. While the MCU are busy confiscating weapons, many have disappeared. Travel outside of the city will be limited over the next few days, to prevent the smuggling and spread of any Intergang technology outside of the city."

The sunlight started to flicker inside the bedroom. The radio turned on at the perfect moment, bombarding the music for a few seconds, before switching to the news.

"We can confirm the water in this city has not been contaminated by the Joker. While several tanks of an unknown substance have been recovered from the sewer, he never had the opportunity to slip them inside of the Metropolis water supply. The tanks are being kept at an undisclosed location."

A long moment paused, almost as if they received late breaking news.

"Deputy Mayor Richards has issued an order for the Anti-Vigilante Task Force to temporarily suspend their operations for the next few days. All resources have been maneuvered into a cleanup which will ensure the entire city will not be swept underneath with criminal elements. We do have confirmation vigilantes will not be tolerated, and can be arrested for their activities should they be caught from the MCU should they be caught."

The first bit of good news, which seemed to be a warning to all of the capes operating in the city. Do what you need to do, just don't get caught doing what you need to do.

"Several were omitted in the hospital due to the Joker's modified toxin. An antidote has been found, and those who did not perish in the riots are being treated. We have confirmation from Gotham City, the Joker has been returned to the city, and he expired in the battle when his heart gave out after subjecting himself to the drug known as Titan."

Kara stirred in bed, finally listening fully to the news over the radio. Diana wrapped her arms around Kara, pulling her in closer.

They finished cleaning up after their bath, only to get into bed to get nice and sweaty one more time. Kara allowed herself to snuggle into Diana's chest. There were worst places for her face to fall.

"Looks like there's a lot to be done," Diana said.

"Yes," Kara said.

"But you accomplished a lot last night," Diana said. "I don't think I could have been more proud of you. The Joker is a diseased man….."

"He'd be just as diseased if he was a woman," Kara said.

Diana took a moment to reconcile the thought in her head. She took a second to shudder at the thought. If the Joker was a woman, he would be a blight on the human race all of the same. No evidence existed to show he would be any better or any worse either.

"Yes, indeed," Diana said. "And I've met my fair share of diseased women in my day. Some need to be given the hand to help and others could not be helped."

"Well, I'm glad I can finally have a chance to breath," Kara said. "At least I think I can."

Diana tightened her grin around Kara. The strength of the Amazon Princess overrode the strength of the young Kryptonian on the bed. Kara closed her eyes tightly, in time for Diana's lips to meet hers with an intense kiss. The two of them enjoyed it.

"Keep doing it, and I won't get out of bed," Kara said.

Diana smiled. Very few people looked so beautiful when waking up from a long rest, but Diana managed to pull it off better than anyone else.

"What if I don't want you to get out of bed?" Diana asked. "What if I want you to stay here with me?"

Kara took a second to think about what Diana asked. She pushed against the Amazon. Their hips met together.

"Seriously, Kara, I think you need a vacation, you deserve one better than anyone else," Diana said.

"You're telling me," Kara said.

Diana laughed at the nonchalant way Kara responded the question. It showed Diana how Kara came to terms with the fact she needed a vacation. Knowing one needed a vacation and accepting a vacation was two different things entirely.

"I'm just concerned you're working yourself too hard," Diana said.

Kara shook her head for the longest moment. She moved over to place her head on the shoulder of her lover and frown.

"You know, people have been telling me it…your sister tells me I should take a side trip to Paradise."

"The invitation is open," Diana said. "It always has been and you do need it."

Kara thought Diana's tone left no room for argument.

"Not sure if I can manage it," Kara said. "With my cousin running around all half-cocked, and Metropolis in the state it is, not sure I can in good conscious take a vacation."

"Well, it's not like you can do Claire or anyone else any good, if you lose your mind," Diana said. She stroked Kara's hair gently as possible.

Kara understood where Diana came from, even if she didn't like it. A slight grin passed over her face, as Kara pulled herself out of bed.

She was about ready to invite Diana into the shower to resume their fun from last night. The phone ringing put a stop to those well played plans.

Then again, as such went the best laid plans of mice and men and Supergirls.

* * *

Lois didn't even know whether or not Claire would stop by and pay her a visit. Claire left all of her items in the closet here. Lois didn't touch them. She thought about throwing them out, but Chloe talked her out of it.

Throwing out her roommate's belongings after she skipped town after sending a letter made Lois look like more of a jilted lover than she would like to admit.

 _'Or a bit of a bitch, bitch works out pretty well as well, you have to admit.'_

Sure enough, Lois heard the window open. A prowler or something else. Regardless, she removed a can of pepper spray just to make sure.

"Lois, it's me."

Lois didn't put down the pepper spray when Claire turned up. She dressed in her full Nightwing attire.

The pepper spray wouldn't affect Claire, but it didn't tempt Lois any less to give her a face full. It would be good therapy for her nevertheless. Lois tensed her hand around the edge of the Pepper Spray can, and tried to hold herself back.

So tempting, so really tempting, would she be a bitch? No, Lois avoided caving into the temptation.

"So, you've returned," Lois said. "You're not staying, are you?"

"Would it help if I told you I was sorry it had to end this way?"

Lois's glare almost burned a hole into the side of Claire's face. Claire should have felt very fortunate Lois didn't have heat vision, because if she did, Claire would have been scorched big time. Seconds dragged by, even though those seconds might as well have been a couple of long moments with Lois staring Claire down for the entire time.

"Really?" Lois asked. "You're sorry, after all….you're sorry it had to end this way."

"Yes," Claire said. "I wasn't in the best place in the world."

"You let the fact you lost your powers get to you, and ruin your life," Lois said.

Lois stood up to her full height, almost staring Claire down. She realized Claire didn't seem too bothered by her death glare. The entire statement deflated her.

"You'd think….."

Claire stopped for a second. Lois took a long moment to stare down Claire. The woman's agitation reached a fever pitch. Claire pushed on a rather obvious button. Lois didn't want to lose her cool. It wouldn't have been good on her health if she lost her cool. Claire wiggled one obvious little button, and Lois found herself on the edge. She danced on the borderline of frustration.

"What?"

One word burned through her.

"After all we've been through, you'd think you'd give me some room," Claire said. "But, it doesn't matter….and you're right, I've changed. Maybe not for the better, but I've changed."

Lois thought Claire admitting she hadn't change for the better was the most honest thing Claire said to her in quite some time.

"You haven't changed for the better," Lois said.

"We've been through a lot, Lois," Claire said. "She's right, I need to disconnect myself from everything, to fully get in touch with my Kryptonian side."

"Who is right, Claire?"

The two of them locked eyes for another second. Claire refused to answer. Lois responded by throwing her hands into the air. She didn't have anything in her hand. Good, because the other item in her hand would have went flying smack dab into Claire's face, had such an item been present.

"She's right," Claire said. "I can't tell you but….."

Claire trailed off. She knew because of Lois's tendency to stick her nose into every situation, the reporter wouldn't rest until she found out who the mysterious she was.

"Oh, I see," Lois said. "You've been getting training. Some bitch gave you a few trinkets, and….you've forgotten who you really are, am I on the right track?"

The blunt force of her words almost cut through Claire. At another time, it might have, but she developed a fairly thick skin during her training.

"It's nothing like what you say," Claire said.

"Isn't it?" Lois asked.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way," Claire said. "And I regret the necessity of leaving a letter for you to find the last time. I didn't want you to find out I was leaving through a letter."

"But you left it," Lois said.

"I did," Claire said. "Everything Kara said, she was correct. It was my fault I lost my powers. And now I'm going to have to earn them back. There's a reason why I lost my powers, to become a better hero."

"You're off on the wrong foot, I think."

Lois took a long breath, struggling to keep her temper down. It was a bit hard for her to keep calm under an intense circumstance such as the one she found herself in. She tried her best to settle herself down. Not the easiest thing in the world to be honest.

The woman allowed her breath to leave her body in a long and obvious gasp.

"Claire, I hope you find what you're looking for, for your sake more than anyone else. However…."

"I need to leave," Claire said. "I have to become something else."

"And here's the girl who embraced being normal," Lois said. "Granted, it's hard to see why you would want to be, but you have your own thoughts, your own opinions, so why wouldn't you….I don't understand what you want half of the time."

The atmosphere in the room grew extremely frosty. Claire really wished it didn't have to be this way. If she wanted to still serve a purpose in the world, it had to be this way. And it took a long time before she understood what her purpose was.

"People change, good bye Lois, and don't worry about the lease of the apartment, it will be taken care of."

Lois tried to protest she didn't need Claire's charity or her pity, but she disappeared into the night without a trace.

"Damn it, she's worse than a Bat."

Lois wondered if she would ever cross paths with Claire again. She supposed all she could do was wait.

* * *

Jade walked through the night in to an undisclosed location. The assassin under the code name of Cheshire stepped into a desolate area many people warned against. The woman braced herself for her employer to come here.

She half expected an attack to follow. An attack to test her skills, or an attack to harm her, Cheshire didn't know? She hoped she could be free. Being in the debt of her sister and her friends wasn't something Cheshire liked.

 _'On the other hand, you can't really find better protection for my daughter than the Amazons. So, she will be safe.'_

A figure approached from the shadows. She dressed in all emerald green, with a cloak covering her body. Her vivid green eyes flashed from behind the cloak.

Cheshire took half of a step back. The woman cast an amazing aura which prompted Cheshire's knees to bend. She experienced a second of obedience, dipping to her knees before the powerful woman before her.

"There's no need to kneel. We're on equal footing after all."

Cheshire rose to her feet. The emerald eyes of her friend burned.

"Your debt with the League has been cleared."

Cheshire could not believe what she heard. Her ears deceived her.

"I can assure you, your ears are not deceiving you. All debts with the League have been cleared."

Cheshire hated how she seemed to be inside her head. The emerald-eyed assassin stared her down.

"How did you manage it?"

"The League is reluctant to cross me, and also the people I work with," she said. "And invoking her name is a surefire way to spur the particular faction of the League you ran afoul of into dropping their vendetta."

Cheshire slipped her mask from her face for a second. She pushed it back on.

"The League will not back down from the other thing. There's a small, but fanatical faction of the League, who will not leave well enough alone. They will not back off from their attempts to resurrect the Demon, Ra's Al Ghul."

The news of the resurrection of one of the most dangerous men in the world caused Cheshire to take a step back. Very few things alarmed her, but one caused her concern.

"Do you think they can succeed?"

The young woman before Cheshire locked eyes with her. Seconds passed before an answer could be given. An unsettling wind followed, and Cheshire heard the thunder clap in the background. The assassin smiled underneath her mask.

 _'Appropriate in some ways.'_

The storm came and signaled its rival. The masked woman answered her question after a couple of moments have passed.

"I don't have a doubt they will try to bring him back to the grave. But we will not allow them to succeed. Ra's Al Ghul's returning does not fit into my plans."

"You can count on my help," Cheshire said.

"I know," she said.

Time passed. The woman turned her back, putting her hands behind it. Arching back, the woman's lips curled into a knowing smile for about a second.

"I will have my agent in Metropolis take a closer eye at things. Whispers they intend to make the resurrection in this city."

Cheshire figured she would know better than anyone else. The storm continued to kick up. Grateful for wearing a thick green cloak due to the wind cutting into her skin, Cheshire rose up on her feet.

"Wouldn't you entering the city put you in direct conflict with Supergirl, Huntress, and other heroes?"

A long pause followed Cheshire's question. The enchanting woman in green stepped towards her. The woman extended an arm and placed it on the side of Cheshire's face.

"I may need their help with the war which is to come."

The emerald cloaked woman turned to a figure dressed in white off to the side, mostly obscured in the shadows.

"You have your orders."

The White Canary smiled and extended her head. She slipped off into the shadows, without a word. Cheshire chose her next few words with great care.

"One of your most loyal?" Cheshire asked.

"Yes."

Cheshire appreciated the assistance. She still wanted to enlist the help of the Amazons, just as an added level of protection.

"The Amazons will be valuable allies, so it's important we keep them in mind. Which I assume you already have."

Cheshire smiled, given their beauty and intensity; she always kept the Amazons in her mind. Who wouldn't? They were a formidable force known the world over, and would lead to an immense impact.

Time hopefully would be on their side sooner rather than later. As the civil war in the League continued, the emerald-clad woman consolidated resources. There were some who questioned her authority. The Daughters of the Demon acknowledge she was the best to bring order to the chaos.

* * *

Donna, Barbara, and Kara hung out in the café outside of the school. Classes had been cancelled for the last few days prior to Spring Break, due to the destruction. The Joker's rampage left very few places intact for them to hang out.

"Well, that was a rather frustrating couple of weeks, wasn't it?" Donna asked. Kara looked towards the Amazon Princess. "I know, I know."

Barbara chuckled. The past year had been one full of twists and turns. She would like to think they came out better for it.

"You know, we all could use a vacation," Barbara said.

Kara sighed, and shook her head.

"Believe it or not, you're the only the second person to tell me recently."

Donna understood what Kara said. She placed her hand on her best friend's shoulder.

"Diana told you, didn't she?"

Kara almost chuckled. Was she so obvious?

"Yeah."

Kara relaxed for a moment. Donna's hands ran over the back of her neck, causing Kara to close her eyes.

"And you're pretty tense, jumpy," Donna said. The younger Amazon kept working her hands over the neck of the Girl of Steel. "We won't be gone for too long, based on the point of view of the outside world, you know."

"We could take a few months on Themyscira, and be gone for only a couple of days on the outside world, right?" Barbara asked.

"Yes," Donna said. "Makes it the perfect place to take a vacation. Also to sharpen your fighting skills if needed."

Kara wondered if she needed to sharpen her fighting skills. She thought she was good, but such assumptions often lead down a dangerous road.

 _'Couldn't hurt to brush up.'_

"Might be a good place for me to see how close I am to getting back on the field," Barbara said.

"After your injury, are you sure?" Kara asked.

Barbara took a drink of her coffee, more to stop her hands from being less idle than anything. She placed it down on the table. The sun bounced off of the coffee mug.

"I'm not sure," Barbara said. She thought she could grow too complacent being behind the computer if she wasn't careful. "And let's face it, mission support is something I do like to do. But you're not lacking in good mission support people."

"And having three people over the headset was a bit chaotic."

Kara considered Donna's point for a long moment, and smiled.

"Fairly chaotic, yes," Kara said. "But, considering the circumstances, you expected us to need all of the eyes we did."

Donna thought they made their way around to a point she wanted to tackle.

"Is he done?"

Barbara understood who she meant. The redhead touched her hand underneath her chin, frowning for the briefest of moments.

"The Joker has cheated death before," Barbara said. "But, I think this was the big one. Whether or not someone takes up the mantle….."

Barbara shuddered, something to really think about.

"Things have calmed down enough where I guess we can justify going on vacation," Kara said.

"Really, you're seriously considering it?" Donna asked. "For real."

"Yes, for real," Kara said, barely avoiding laughing.

"So, it's settled, we're going to Themyscira?" Donna asked. Her stern gaze washed over both Barbara and Kara. "I don't want any arguments, both of you need a vacation."

"I don't want to leave the city," Kara said. "With, all of the things happening…not to mention Claire….."

Donna silenced Kara with a kiss on the lips. Kara closed her eyes, accepting the kiss. While Donna wasn't as forceful of a presence as Diana, she could be as forceful as she wanted to be.

"Dinah, Artemis, and Helena will keep an eye on Claire, and make sure….well make sure she stays out of trouble," Barbara said.

Donna released Kara's lips. The Amazon princess grinned at her.

"So, do you think I've convinced you?"

"Yes," Kara said. "I guess…I could use a vacation."

Kara slumped her shoulders with both Barbara and Donna placing a hand on either shoulder.

"Well, I wish I knew who trained Claire," Kara said. "Helena's on it though, so if anyone can get it out of Claire, she can."

"She can," Barbara said.

"So, it's settled then?" Donna asked.

Kara hoped the trip to the island wasn't like her last couple of trips to the island. An adventure on Themyscira didn't occur without any kind of incident as she learned the last couple of times she went.

The Amazons knew how to fight, but they could unwind as well. Boy could they unwind.

* * *

Morgan Edge watched the news reports on screen. He waited for the other foot to drop. The Joker cost him a fair amount of money with his destruction of Intergang. The weapons caches stored around Metropolis were up for grabs, as the news reporters rightfully said.

Edge drummed his fingers patiently against the edge of the table. He leaned back in the luxury seat in his prison cell and waited for someone to bring him the news he waited for.

Footsteps approached the cell. Edge looked up and a figure dressed in a black suit approached the bars of the cell.

"Yes," Edge said.

"Your insurance company report, sir."

Half of the buildings in Metropolis had been insured by Morgan Edge. The man in the suit slipped the file through the cell.

 _'I could walk out here at any time, but why bother. I can be the model citizen, and be right back where I started. And Metropolis will be mine more than ever.'_

He opened up the file folder. Many people who weren't in the danger zone filed new, premium claims. He lost a little money off the top, paying for claims, but the vast amount of people who scrambled for claims, because Metropolis would turn into a war zone put Edge in the green far and between.

"Thank you, and keep me posted for any further information. There's going to be a war coming, and….hopefully all of the boys will be ready to be on the front line for it."

* * *

Harley Quinn wondered where her luck turned so south. She got captured by the heroes. In the ultimate dose of hilarity, she received an arrow to the knee. She got the joke and laughed at it.

The fact they left her tied to a lamppost struck her as a bit less funny.

Then, she freed herself, but didn't get far. The injury to her leg forced Harley not to be able to run too far, or too fast. Then some goons in suits picked her up and threw her into the back of the truck. She figured, back to Arkham, but no, she was some place different.

Some place cold, so cold, Harley wondered if they even had heat. Were they in the middle of the Arctic or something?

"Harleen Quinzell."

Harley's eyes perked up to see a large black woman walking towards her. The no nonsense attitude the woman gave showed Harley how she wasn't one to fuck with.

"Yes, what's it to you?"

"My name is Amanda Waller, you've been drafted into Task Force X. Welcome to the Suicide Squad."

"You don't know who you're dealing with, lady," Harley said. "Mistuh J will drop by, and….."

Waller handed Harley a newspaper.

"My condolences."

Harley read the paper, the news of the Joker's demise, after taking about a quarter of downtime Metropolis with him. Harley's eyes welled up and she tore into the paper.

Bits of paper hurled into the air, as she flung it against the wall. The woman started breathing heavily. This paper had to be a lie…..her pudding couldn't be dead. He just couldn't be.

She realized some government broad tried to enlist her for some task force thingy. Harley wasn't going to let this stand without a fight.

"I WANT MY LAWYER!"

* * *

 **To Be Continued on January 5** **th** **, 2016.**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Forty: Paradise Interrupted.**

* * *

Kara dressed in regal looking golden armor. The golden "S" crest appeared on the armor and shined out in the light. She situated herself. In her left hand, dangled a large shield, and Kara carried a large sword in her right hand. Also on her right wrist, a red solar watch dangled, which brought her back to more normal fighting skills. It allowed her to train her skills without super powers getting in her way.

The Girl of Steel joined Donna and Barbara, along with the rest of the Amazons on Themyscira. After the last few weeks, Kara needed a vacation. Paradise would be a good place her her to go.

"Okay, Donna, you wanted a piece of me, you got it," Kara said. She circled around Donna, with a smile on her face. "You think you're better than me."

"You've gotten good," Donna said. She waved Kara over and motioned for her to bring it. "But, I've been doing this my entire life. I think I can get the better of you. I know I can get the better of you"

"Dangerous words," Kara said. "Hopefully you won't be spitting them out when you're lying on the ground."

Off to the side, Diana watched the interplay between both of the young girls. To be young and excited again, but it must have been a lifetime ago where Diana looked this young and this excited. She monitored the combat between Donna and Kara, to ensure it didn't get too spirited. Two young girls could get a little over the top if pushed so.

"Careful, Donna," Diana said. She looked down at her sister with a rather obvious warning dancing in her eyes. She watched the two younger women circle each other. "Be careful not to allow your arrogance to get the better of you."

"Don't worry, Diana, I won't let my arrogance get the better of me," Donna said. She stared Kara down. "And besides, it's not arrogance, its confidence. There's a huge difference between the two, you know."

Kara thought Donna assumed she had the battle before. The Girl of Steel thought it was about time to break the younger Amazon princess of her assumption.

"Oh, you'll see how confident you are, when I end up knocking you on your smug little butt," Kara said. She adjusted her armor, holding the shield in one hand and a sword in the other. "So, are you ready, princess?"

"I was born ready," Donna said.

Donna charged in for the first battle. The two warriors fought, with their swords clanging together. The loud clanging sound erupted, when Kara pushed, but Donna could push back just as hard. Sweat dripped down their faces.

Kara stepped back, and tried to take care of Donna's blind spot. Donna turned to protect a blind spot. It allowed Kara to clip her on the right side, which caused Donna to jump up.

"Make sure to watch your right side, Donna," Diana said. She cupped her hand underneath her chin, watching them battle. "The last thing you want to do is leave one side open for battle."

"Yes, I know," Donna said. The Amazon Princess threw her hair back and only barely acknowledged Diana with an annoyed expression. "You don't need to nag me, Diana, I know."

Kara jumped into the air and nailed her with a roundhouse kick. She stood on Donna's chest, the Amazon struggling as Kara stood on her chest.

"Oh, I think you really know, alright," Kara said. Her smugness barely was held down. "Are you ready to give up, or do I need to knock you on your ass a little bit more?"

Donna struggled underneath Kara's foot. She tried to kick her way out from underneath Kara. The Kryptonian survivor took pity on Donna and stepped back, allowing her to get up.

"Never," Donna said. The woman's eyes narrowed in response and she charged her adversary, fist extended.

"You just never learn, do you?" Kara asked. Donna responded with a punch, but Kara went behind her. She locked her in a full nelson, and forced her down to her knees.

"Not bad, but you didn't lock your fingers," Donna said. She forced Kara way from her and the two of them engaged in a brief hand to hand even more.

Donna took Kara down by her legs and brought her down onto the ground. A handful of hair proved the Amazon Princess could get down and fight dirty, about as much as she could fight with honor. Her nails raked the side of Kara's face when she yanked her opponent down to the ground.

Diana watched the two of them scuffle, neither gaining a proper advantage. They rose up from the half catfight, and resumed the hand to hand combat. Things became a bit too intense for a friendly spar, and Diana cleared her throat.

"Okay, and time," Diana said. The older Amazon Princess descended down to both of them. A small cut opened up on the side of Kara's cheek, although with the watch removed, the cut would heal. Her puffy lip added to the pain. "Not bad from both of you."

"I disagree," Donna said. "I could have done better."

"You could have done better….my reflexes weren't on," Kara said.

"But you handicapped your powers, so you have an excuse," Donna said. "I don't for being so sloppy."

Diana led both of her sisters into a rest area. The area had lavish seats, and in the back, contained a lavish bed, with plenty of room. The Amazons used this place fairly often for marathon sessions after sparring battles.

"You girls did well, I won't hear anything else of the sort," Diana said. She noticed Kara about to protest, but she sat her down. Diana reached down and tended to her wounds. "It won't scar….even if you didn't have healing powers."

"Donna can fight dirty," Kara said.

"Believe me, I know she can," Diana said. The older Amazon smiled despite the circumstances. "She's a scratcher and a biter."

"You found out as well, didn't you?" Kara asked. Diana responded by leaning in and kissed her on the lips.

Kara returned the kiss for a moment. Her tongue forced it's way passed Diana's mouth. The two engaged in a kiss.

Donna ran her hands down her thighs. Her older sister, and her best friend, who could be considered her younger sister in some ways, engaged in some steamy lip action. The warrior princess shuddered at the hotness of the situation.

"Well don't be a stranger, Donna! Join in!"

* * *

Hippolyta sat down. The Amazon Queen kept a rather composed exterior around most of her sisters. Only a select few saw the other side of her, the more guarded side. Those individuals saw the side of her which showed she was about as human as any other woman, despite being practically divine.

The Queen of the Amazons opened an elegant cabinet and pulled out a bottle of wine. Made by the gods, and only to be consumed when necessary, as Hera and Aphrodite both warned her after they gifted it to her. Hippolyta looked at the forbidden bottle, wondering if recent political rumblings could be defined as necessary.

"To do, or not to do, it's the question," Hippolyta said. The bottle dangled from her hand and a moment of hesitation followed. Hippolyta placed the bottle back inside the cabinet. She better save it for a more special occasion. "I should show my strength far more often."

Hippolyta slid the bottle back in the cabinet. No sooner did she put the bottle back in the cabinet, a knock could be heard on the doors.

"Yes, come in."

A smile spread across her face, even though it could be pretty weak. Diana made her way inside. She looked to be in a pretty good mood, to the point where she almost glowed, more or less.

"Mother, I wanted to check up on you," Diana said. She crossed the room and looked towards Hippolyta. The oldest of the Amazon Princesses reached over, and looked towards her mother. "I haven't seen much of you during my visit. I was concerned something wasn't right."

"My daughter, I've been busy and contemplating several matters," Hippolyta said. She figured a tense state was no reason for rudeness. A knowing smile spread across her face. "Are Kara and Barbara enjoying their time on the island? You did tell them if there was anything I could do to make it better, than tell me."

"They know," Diana said. She crossed the room with her mother. "It's about the rebels, isn't it?"

Hippolyta paused for the longest moment. The sigh showed her disgust and the tenseness in her tone. The Queen hoped to not burden her daughter, but one day, the burden could be Diana's, if she ever was in position to be Queen.

"Yes, Diana it is."

Diana didn't really know what to say. Hippolyta turned around and walked down the hallway.

"Another small group left the island," Hippolyta said. The Queen's face adopted a forlorn expression. "I can't say I can fault them. There is no right or wrong way to interpret the teachings of Hera. It's just….."

Hippolyta allowed herself to compose herself for a moment.

"It's just, I wish they didn't take the extreme interpretation," Hippolyta said. "To judge all men by the actions of a few….extreme cases would be just like judging the Amazons based off of a few extreme cases."

"The splinter tribe though….they have not caused any more problems?" Diana asked.

Hippolyta paused for a long moment to consider Diana's statement. She responded with a swift enough sigh.

"Not to my knowledge, but it's worrying," Hippolyta said. "If they declare war on men, my hands are tied…..but if I do nothing and allow them to run unchecked, failure would follow."

"But if you interfere, you would be breaking the vow you made when you became Queen," Diana said.

"But, if I don't interfere, I wouldn't be able to live with myself," Hippolyta said. She frowned. "It wouldn't have taken the job if I thought it easy. The more the world changes, the harder it is to be hidden away on an island. In some ways, the goddesses only intended for this to be a temporary sanctuary, and nothing lasts forever."

"No, nothing does last forever," Diana said.

"Diana, would you care to join me in a sparring session?" Hippolyta asked.

The Amazon Princess looked on with a crisp smile crossing over her face. The woman of wonder understood why her mother needed to relieve tension. And after helping her younger sisters ease their tension earlier, she thought she should help her mother the most she could as well.

"Certainly, Mother."

* * *

Barbara closed her eyes. The young woman sank herself into the hot spring. The muscles, sore after the events of months ago, experienced a relaxing caress from the warm water. The waters washed over her muscles.

"Mind if we join you?" Kara asked.

Barbara stared at Kara with a nice little grin on her face.

"Well, I missed joining you earlier," Barbara said. She looked at both Kara and Donna. Both of them wore white cotton robes. "But, hey if you want to join me, then knock yourselves out."

Kara and Barbara shucked off their robes. Their perfect bodies flashed in front of Barbara's eyes. The two of them joined Barbara in the hot spring. They positioned themselves on either side of her.

 _'Well, it looks like the hot springs are going to get even hotter,'_ Barbara thought. Kara's hand brushed her ass, which caused Barbara to shift a fraction of the inch.

Kara tried to look innocent, a look which Barbara didn't buy for the briefest second. Regardless, the two of them scooted together as close as possible within the hot springs.

"So, how are you doing?" Kara asked.

"I feel like a million dollars, to be honest," Barbara said. "All of the pampering on the island has done me well."

"Since, I thought it would be a good idea, for both of you," Donna said. Both of them shot her one of their glares based on her rather smug expression. "Okay, I won't brag too much, but you have to admit, we've all done well."

"I guess," Kara said. She shook her head, causing her blonde hair to flip out of her face. "Getting away from Metropolis made me miss it."

"Just a little bit?" Barbara asked. "What about….?"

Donna nudged Barbara with a sharp elbow to the midsection. The fierce warrior sensed Barbara was about ready to mention Claire. Given the good mood Kara put herself in, it would be a shame to ruin it all.

"Well, I'm sure you don't miss the crime," Barbara said. "Although we're going to have to deal with it when we come back."

"I'm sure you'll be able to help support me, and hey, Artemis and Thea are doing about as good of a job as they could in my absence, I'm sure," Kara said. She tossed her hair back. "And others are pitching in."

"They do some good, we should give them plenty of credit," Barbara said. She realized where Kara's hands roamed and tried her best not to lose her cool. Easier said than done, she knew pretty much. "Speaking of which, I should be back on the field in about six or eight months, give or take."

"Give or take?" Kara asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Yeah, I don't want to rush in before I'm ready," Barbara said. "Besides, it's not like I'm just sitting back and eating potato chips when the two of you and everyone else is on the field. I'm training, and when I'm not training, I'm helping out."

Kara decided to turn her full attention to Barbara. The two almost pressed together wet chest, to wet chest. Their nipples brushed against each other at any rate.

"Your contributions are very much valued, Barbara," Kara said. She leaned in closer towards her.

"I would think after earlier, you would be worn out," Donna said.

Kara pulled away from Barbara, and cast a narrow eyed, almost evil look at Donna. The grin split over the face of the Girl of Steel when she looked at the youngest Amazon Princess.

"Me, I wouldn't get worn out so easily?" Kara asked. She leaned across Barbara, looking towards the Amazon Princess with a smile. "And for the record, Diana put you through the paces just as hard as she did me, harder even."

Barbara groaned at the thought of what she missed. A twinge of jealousy filled her body. Her nipples grew a bit hard at the thought of Diana, Donna, and Kara going at it.

"Sounds like I missed a hell of a training session," Barbara said.

"You really have no idea, do you?" Kara asked. Barbara smiled.

"So, tell me, how many of the Amazon training sessions end in a massive orgy?" Barbara asked.

Donna and Kara laughed at Barbara's bluntness for a few minutes.

"Well, with any luck, all of them," Donna said. She stroked Barbara's hair, and moved her hands down to the back of her neck. "We train hard, but damn if we don't know how to unwind when it's all said and done."

Barbara disappeared into a blissful state with Donna rubbing her hands around her neck.

"I see," Barbara said. Donna's hands brushed down the back of Barbara's neck. She gave a whimpering moan when Donna went to work on the back of her neck. "Oh god, I really see…feels so good too…so good!"

"Mmm, I'm sure it does," Donna said.

Donna continued to work out the kinks in the back of Barbara's neck. Kara decided to help out, by massaging her front, pressing her crotch against Barbara's.

The mood had been broken by one of the Hippolyta's guards running past, looking distracted. Donna stared at the guard, surprised she ran past like a chicken with her head cut off.

"It's odd," Donna said.

"The fact you stopped massaging my neck?"

"No, a lot of my mother's staff, they're acting pretty weird as of late, and not weird in the good way, either," Donna said. She frowned and made her way to her feet. An inquisitive look flashed through Donna's eyes.

Kara's long gaze followed the Amazon royal guard up the embankment. A couple of thoughts entered the woman's mind. She wondered, thoughts going in her mind. Rather odd, and suspicious. Stealing one look back at Donna and Barbara, and noticing similar looks pass over their face, Kara made an executive decision to start snooping around.

"Well, will it hurt to have a look around?" Kara asked.

"We should really get our clothes first, if we're going to poke around," Barbara said.

"Fine, be back in a second," Kara said.

Before either of them could blink, Kara zoomed off to the nearby pavilion. The Girl of Steel returned seconds later, her arms overflowing in clothes for both of them. A smile crossed her face when she bent down.

"Gives new meaning to the term, flash, doesn't it?" Donna asked. "With all apologies to the Flash."

"Just let's get dressed, because I know the two of you want to find out," Kara said.

* * *

"Can I help you girls with something?"

No sooner did Kara, Donna, and Barbara enter the royal palace, they ran into the Queen of the Amazons. Hippolyta proved, despite her frustrations, how on the ball she was. The Warrior Queen stared down at the girls.

"Well, Diana is tense, everyone is so tense," Donna said. "We're really worried something is going on….something which could affect the Amazons."

A long sigh followed. Hippolyta waved the girls into the main chambers of the palace. It was deserted other than the three of them. The Queen of the Amazons sat down, with her focus one hundred perfect placed on her daughter and Donna's two best friends.

"I never hoped to ruin your visit with the dark cloud of war," Hippolyta said. "But, I guess there's pretty much no choice in the matter. There is a storm on the horizon. And the Amazons are in the middle of it….the rogues are growing restless, and those who have decided to stay who aren't pleased with my rule….well it's uncertain about what they will do."

"You mean there's a splinter faction of Amazons which could cause trouble?" Donna asked.

"They left the island some time ago, after Faust and Hades were banished when they tried to lay siege to the island," Hippolyta said. "Our immobilization at the hands of Faust caused some to lose faith in me."

Kara recalled the entire adventure. Shayera and Diana put a stop to the double dealings of Faust and Hades, but despite it seemingly being over at the time, it was not truthfully over. It was never over. The wounds of everything failed to heal in time.

"So, they left the island," Kara said. Hippolyta responded by nodding. Kara's frown deepened. "And you let them go?"

"Of course she did, this island is a sanctuary, not a prison," Donna said.

"Donna is correct," Hippolyta said. "I did not want to let them go, but I had no choice to let them go and I feel like I have no leadership."

"They're being pretty ungrateful for all you've done for them," Donna said.

Hippolyta responded by shaking her head. She looked towards her daughter. With a strong cup of her hand, Hippolyta made her youngest look her in the eyes.

"Gratitude goes in many ways, Donna," Hippolyta said. "I made a vow to protect them, and a situation arose where I couldn't. Therefore, they had the right to decide to find alternate living arrangements. Many understood the situation, others didn't. I couldn't force them to stay."

"If you did, you would be no better than the tyrants the Amazons had to hide from in the first place," Barbara said.

"Astute, Barbara, Athena would be proud of your wisdom," Hippolyta said.

Kara and Donna stole a look at a smiling Barbara. Both of them stared at Barbara, and shook their heads. The smile would not be going off her face any time soon.

"Wonderful, we're never going to be able to fit her head in the door ever again," Kara said.

"And some Amazons grow tired of hiding after a long time," Hippolyta said. She sat back on the throne. Donna moved closer to her mother. "They don't want to be the victims any longer. They want to be proactive. Unfortunately, they interpret Hera's teachings in way which leads them to violence, and not peace."

"They don't want to be the victims, they want to be the aggressors," Kara said.

"And I do sense a divine presence behind this as well," Hippolyta said.

"Maybe it's Circe?" Donna asked.

Kara and Barbara winced; they didn't want to deal with Circe ever again. The last time they dealt with the goddess of magic and trickery, it was bad enough. Diana ended up being turned into a pig. A boar in fact, which Circe said had to do with her boarish personality.

"Not Circe, I would recognize it," Hippolyta said. "It's something new. Someone knew."

Donna grew worried on behalf of her mother, and the rest of the Amazons. She wondered what would happen next and really feared the answer.

' _I have a bad feeling about this.'_

* * *

A group of Amazons, dressed in modified armor, gathered around on a boat. A woman with dark hair, dressed in a toga, walked forward to address them.

"It's time for you, my sisters, to take back what's yours," the woman said. "The time of Queen Hippolyta has reached an end! For too long, we have been forced into hiding. But it will be men who will be forced into hiding, when we inherit the world. Before we kill all who are unworthy, and keep only the strongest to milk for their seed, and to repopulate the world with a master race of Amazon warriors to prosper."

The Amazons cheered the words of their leader.

"Queen Hippolyta has grown soft, and her daughter grew even softer! We will rule the world!"

"All hail Queen Lorelei!" one of them yelled.

"ALL HAIL QUEEN LORELEI!"

In the ship, amongst the women, one with messy black hair and haunting green eyes stared. A smirk spread over her face as she spoke.

"All hail Queen Lorelei," she dead panned.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on January 8** **th** **, 2015.**


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty-One: War of the Amazons Part One.**

* * *

One of the newer Amazon recruits extended her sword forward. The spirit of combat exited many new recruits and she proved to be no exception. Artemis stared her down and motioned for her to come forward. The spirited young woman charged the General of the Amazon army. The sword extended out, and this time she was going to get a strike on her adversary, she just knew it.

With casual action, Artemis blocked the sword. The young warrior tried to nail her with a glancing shot, but it had been blocked one more time. Another swing with the sword caused the Amazon warrior to land on her face at the feet of the mature Amazon warrior.

"I almost could have beaten you!" the warrior yelled. She almost threw her arms into the air in frustration.

Artemis barely suppressed a smile. It was a common battle cry amongst her trainees. They could have beaten her. Perhaps one day they might have achieved this mark.

"At ease," Artemis said. She bent down at the knees and extended a hand. "You tried to attack me with more force than you should have. As a result, you became frustrated and burned out your energy. A common beginner error"

The young woman allowed herself to be pulled up to a standing position. She wanted to prove herself. Before this young Amazon had been brought to the island, she went through a really bad time. Now, she wanted to be strong.

"True strength comes with diligence and practice," Artemis said. Her eyes fixed on the young warrior on the island. "You need to just keep up your training, and one day, you will be able to run with the best of them."

Artemis noticed spirit within the young woman. All of the women came to the island with something to prove. Artemis recalled at one time she had something to prove. One might say she had a bit of a chip on her shoulder.

Some might argue she still had a bit of a chip on her shoulder, but it was beside the point. The general of the Amazon armies sought to help a new generation of warriors be able to fight. Artemis hoped to lead them forward and encourage them to fulfill their full potential.

"Fight me one more time," Artemis said. "This time, don't overthink things and burn yourself out."

The young warrior in training set her jaw. It was easy for Artemis to say. Fighting came natural to her. Regardless, her hand gripped around the sword.

"It will do you very little if you become injured in your attempt to defeat me, now attack."

The young warrior rushed forward with a sword extended. Artemis blocked her shot and forced her back. The young Amazon staggered back, and Artemis disarmed her, before pushing her to the ground again.

"It will be sufficient for today….think about what I've taught you, and we'll try this again tomorrow," Artemis said.

The warrior in training slumped over. She wasn't hurt; Artemis didn't need to injure her enemy to prove a point. There's no need to do so.

Artemis watched one of her latest charges leave. She noticed something at the edge of the island. The warrior stepped to the island, to investigate. A boat approached the island. It wasn't odd; there had been ship wrecked accidents on the island before. Some had been men; others had been women who had found homes here.

"Stay close," Artemis said to the women who stood on either side of her.

Hordes of women stood on the ship. A woman dressed in a toga with dark hair made her way from the ship. Golden bracelets dangled from her hands.

"Yes, may I help you?" Artemis asked in her clearest and curtest tone of voice.

"Sorry for the unannounced arrived," the woman said. "I hoped the offer to rejoin the sisterhood is open."

"All women are welcome to this island," Artemis said. Something about her found this entire situation to be tense. The women on the boat looked dressed for combat. Artemis frowned, recognizing a few of them from training them a long time ago. "All of these women, they chose to leave the island."

The leader of the group made her way from the boat. She smiled when leaving the boat. Her hand placed on Artemis's cheek. Slowly, the woman stroked it, with a twinkle dancing from her eyes.

"Yes, they have left the island….but…they found new life," the woman said. "And, it would be a shame if our sisterhood would be divided for much longer. I should speak with Queen Hippolyta….to ensure our two tribes become one again. We can lead the Amazons into a brave new era."

Artemis took a moment to look at this woman. Something unsettled her for a moment, but also the tone of her voice relaxed Artemis and caused her to be less guarded than normal.

"The Queen is very busy….I'm afraid you're going to have to wait until tomorrow to meet her," Artemis asked.

The woman smiled.

"You think I would have to wait, but I know I can change your mind," she said. Her voice sounded quite entrancing, and Artemis tried to shake off the effects. "Come darling, you want to help the Amazons don't you…we can grow…..we can do this together. You know how disappointed the Queen was when some chose to leave."

Artemis recalled the disappointment. Was her throat dry or was it her imagination.

"She wished for the very best, yes."

"Take me to her," the woman said. She touched a finger to Artemis's mouth, and caused the woman to shiver. "It's time for Lorelei to come home."

The name Lorelei should have been something Artemis remembered, but her mind became entranced. Much too foggy to recall everything in her mind before this moment.

"What are you doing?"

"The stronger the will, the more of a desire to be free," Lorelei said. She leaned towards her, her lips coated with a special chemical. "But, you wish to not be the stoic which all Amazons respect and fear."

Lorelei pressed her lips onto Artemis's with a long kiss. The two of them pulled apart. Artemis's eyes glazed over in a dreamy fashion which became unbecoming.

"I will take you to Queen Hippolyta," Artemis said in a dreamy voice. "Sorry to keep you waiting, mistress."

"Yes, Artemis, I understand you were only following orders," Lorelei said. "Therefore, I won't punish you too badly."

The dazed Amazon general tried to keep her head above the water, but it became increasingly hard every second. Lorelei placed Artemis underneath her thumb and wouldn't relent.

* * *

Elsewhere on the island, Donna followed the progress of an arriving ship. It wasn't odd to see a ship arrive on Themyscira, but it still threw her off. Kara and Barbara walked up behind her, both of them frowning. Kara placed her hand on Donna's shoulder, but Donna barely acknowledged her.

"Those are Amazons, aren't they?" Barbara asked.

"Yes," Donna said. She frowned when she noticed the modified attire on them.

The attire of the Amazons looked to be a bit cruder, made more for war than for just casual sparring. The younger princess eyed the attire, wondering what was up with it. Kara placed her hand on Donna's shoulder, causing the younger Amazon almost to jump up.

"Those are the rogue Amazons, aren't they?" Kara asked.

"Yes," Donna said in agreement. Her frown deepened when she looked at them. "I didn't expect them to ever show up on the island."

"They don't look too welcoming," Kara said. She continued to stare on ahead, the frown on her face deepening. The young Kryptonian's gaze fixated a fair bit forward. "So, who is the woman in the toga?"

Donna didn't know. She sensed something fairly unsettling about the woman's aura. Goosebumps rose on the back of Donna's neck and on her arms as she leaned forward. She turned to Donna and Barbara.

"I don't think I've seen her around the island," Donna said. "I didn't think the new tribes were recruiting, rather they've just splintered off of the main island, the main part of Themscrycira."

"Maybe," Kara said. She grew thoughtful. A potential theory crossed her mind. "Maybe she was the one doing the recruiting. Stirring up the pot so to speak, as it will."

Donna considered Kara's words and thought she had a point. The young Amazon Princess thought she should go through and investigate. The woman put her hands on Artemis, rubbing her cheek. Something she wouldn't dare do, even if she was playful about it. Somehow, Artemis didn't seem to mind.

 _'Okay, what in the name of Tartarus is going on here?'_ Donna thought. Barbara frowned, when she moved past Donna.

Time for them to get to the bottom of this. Barbara's nosy nature had a tendency to get her into more trouble than it should and this was one of the circumstances where she did get into so much trouble.

"Is everything alright?" Barbara asked.

The woman turned to the three girls, surprised of their presence. Kara wondered if Barbara bit off a bit more than she could chew by asking the question. The young woman was headstrong, to the point of insanity.

"I recognize some of these Amazons," Donna said. She frowned and was on her guard. "They departed from the island…..are they from Egypt or Brazil?"

The woman gave a charming smile towards the Amazon Princess. Donna wasn't sure if she liked the smile the woman gave.

"We are part of the Egyptian tribe of the Amazons," the dark haired woman said. Something about her voice sounded musical and Donna dipped into a stupor. "There is a storm coming, and we must rejoin with our sisters to fight it."

Kara put her hand on Donna's shoulders which caused her to pull back to life.

"They have been brought here to meet with Queen Hippolyta," Artemis said. The woman's smile spread. "And she will be happy to see them, for her heart ached every day her sisters were absent from this island."

Donna didn't doubt her mother was disappointed on every single day their sisters all left. Still something about this situation, along with Artemis's demeanor, stunk to all high heaven. The worst part was, Donna couldn't recall a point where Artemis was this happy. Artemis didn't really do happy, to be honest, did she? Not even when she knocked Donna, Diana, and any other Amazon on their ass in battle repeatedly. Which happened, on a regular basis.

"So, you're going to take them up to the palace," Kara said. "Are you sure it's safe? Or allowed?"

Donna prepared herself for a battle. Artemis could have her moments where questioning her authority could be suicidal. Kara was one of the few who could get away with doing it.

"Lorelei assured me her group of Amazons mean us no malice," Artemis said. She smiled at the trio. "Why don't the three of you go off and enjoy the day? You've done so well in your training, I could never be more proud of you. You deserve the day off."

Donna's gaze fixated onto Artemis's like she grew two heads. The Amazon Princess shook her head, recovering from her thoughts.

"Right," Donna said. "Well, hope everything goes well."

The three girls stepped to the side, allowing Artemis, this Lorelei, and the rest of the splinter group of Amazons to make their way to the palace. Kara and Barbara looked at each other, before they spoke.

"Do you get the feeling something strange is going on here?" Barbara asked. Kara raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I know, what was my first clue, and all of that….but seriously, something really is….you know…really wrong?"

"Really wrong?" Kara asked.

"Yes, really wrong," Barbara said. Her entire body slumped forward with an extremely obvious sigh. "There's something about the name Lorelei which strikes a bell as well, I just can't put my finger on it."

"There's more than Lorelei, although I do agree she's an oddity," Donna said. She remembered the light headed feeling she experienced when Lorelei spoke. Like she'd walk off a cliff if Lorelei would just ask her. And she never heard of any Amazon named Lorelei. "Artemis never was this generous with the praise, she's always the stoic."

"Yes, it is odd," Kara said. She frowned. "Guess, we're going to have to keep an eye on this entire mess."

Donna and Barbara both nodded, thinking their girlfriend had a point.

* * *

Diana made her way to check in on her mother. The oldest Amazon Princess sensed something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on exactly what caused these particular misgivings. Regardless, Diana walked with a purpose, nearly running into Amazon, her royal guard, and an unfamiliar woman. Diana stepped back from her.

"Artemis what is the matter?" Diana asked.

"There's nothing the matter, Diana," Artemis said. She smiled, which caught Diana off guard. "It's a wonderous day….I wish to speak with your mother, alone."

"Alone?" Diana asked.

The two locked eyes and Diana normally respected the wishes of her teacher. One of the two women who could match her in battle. Something was entirely off here.

' _She's not herself.'_

"Yes, Princess, alone, me and your mother, we have much catching up to do," the enchanting dark haired woman next to Artemis said. Diana's eyes glazed over for a moment. "Trust me, it's going to be something amazing when I'm able to talk to her."

"Amazing," Diana said. She experienced a chilling feeling spread over her body. "I'll be outside, if you need anything…..I'm afraid I haven't been introduced to you….."

"Lorelei," the woman said. She leaned forward. "You're so beautiful, I can't believe you've grown into such a powerful woman. You'd be perfect."

"Perfect for what?" Diana asked.

Perhaps she had been at the game of a superhero for too long, but there was something about the woman's demeanor which put Diana at ease a bit too much. Diana's mind cleared up when she thought about what Helena Wayne would think. One thing was for certain, Helena wouldn't approve of Diana just stepping back and allowing Lorelei to pass for instance.

Lorelei did in fact pass, before Diana couldn't consider making the effort to stop her.. Not only did she pass, but the doors shut behind her, leaving Diana in a lurch. The Amazon Princess couldn't believe she had been left behind.

 _'Something is wrong,'_ Diana thought.

"Hippolyta, you have a visitor," Artemis said.

Hippolyta looked up from the throne. She didn't really want any visitors, given the circumstances. She needed to figure out what to do about another large group of Amazons wanting to depart. There were so many who could leave, before she had to concede it might have been her ruling style which was the problem.

Still it would be rude not to allow anyone to turn up. The Queen of the Amazons put her best foot forward, and turned to see the dark haired woman. She recognized the woman from lore, and had been warned about her arrival.

"One could think you weren't happy to see me," Lorelei said. Hippolyta's eyes narrowed at her. The woman smiled and moved forward. The aroma of her perfume made anyone close to her feel light headed. "There's no need to be mad, just relax, let it all go, feel the pleasure of release building up in your body."

Lorelei's worked her way beyond Hippolyta. Hippolyta looked up towards Artemis and the royal guard, a frown spreading across her face. Why weren't they doing anything to help her against this woman? This woman with magical hands….Hippolyta shook her head, she wouldn't fall for this. She wouldn't be put underneath the woman's spell.

The door burst open. Diana made her way inside the throne room and looked ready for a fight. An intensity flashed through her eyes like none other. Lorelei smiled when she looked at the Amazon Princess. It would do good to have both of them under her thumb, it would serve her plans nicely.

"You are to step away from my mother, Siren," Diana said. She dressed in full armor, with a sword in hand. "This has no need to end in violence. I don't want fight you, but if you've harmed my mother or any of my sisters, I'll have no choice."

"I think you'd look better on your knees," Lorelei said. She raked her eyes over Diana, practically visually undressing her. "Princess, kneel before your future Queen."

Hippolyta rose to her feet, and was about to protest this, but the royal guard grabbed her from behind, holding her in place. Artemis looked at Hippolyta with a look which seemed half apologetic, but it still angered the Queen.

"What is the meaning of this, Artemis?" Hippolyta asked.

Before the question could be answered, Diana sprung into attack. The Amazon Princess pushed back one of the Elite Guard members and engaged her hand some hand to hand combat.

One of the Elite Guard members tried to run Diana through with a blade. The Amazon dodged the attempted bludgeoning. The older Amazon Princess flipped onto her feet, and stuck a landing. She drilled her adversary with a huge kick, bringing the point of her boot into the face of her adversary.

"Grab her and restraint her," Lorelei said.

"It's time to test your skills, Diana," Artemis said.

Diana closed her eyes, and withdrew her sword, slowly and reluctantly. Just in time for her to block Artemis's attempt to take her out. She clung it against Artemis's. The two of them fought back and forth, with a titanic struggle.

 _'She's always beaten me, no matter what the circumstances,'_ Diana thought. The breath barely passed through her body. The woman's knees almost crumpled to the ground. _'No, I can't….I must….I have to….fight it Diana, fight it Princess!'_

Diana returned to the fight with a new level of resolve. She fiercely rose up from the ashes and slashed her sword at Artemis.

"Seems like your skills have deteriorated Artemis," Diana said. "But, then again, when you become a puppet, you're never as good as you've been before…"

Several other Amazons swarmed Diana, ending the one on one fight. Hippolyta jumped in to assist her daughter.

"They're under her thrall….and we will be soon if we don't….." Hippolyta said. The Queen landed on the ground from a blow delivered from behind by one of the rogue Amazons.

"Mother!" Diana yelled.

Diana speared the Amazon who attacked her mother. The Princess punched her in the face, but two more Amazons grabbed Diana. Diana struggled against their grip.

"You're a strong woman, Diana," Lorelei said. She made her way over, and smiled. "But strong women are made to be broken."

Lorelei pressed her lips onto Diana's give her a hot and fiery kiss. Diana struggled against the kiss, but as she opened her mouth, Lorelei forced her tongue into her mouth. Diana's anger flashed through her eyes. The Amazon's loins heated up, as she struggled to succumb against the actions of the enchanting witch.

"A really strong woman, but I'll find the right button to push," Lorelei said. She trailed off and nibbled Diana on her ear. The princess bit down on her lip to stifle her gasp. "Or maybe I found the right button to push….I suggest you stop fighting, and start embracing this new order."

The Amazons dragged Hippolyta to a standing position. One of them held a sword at her neck. The Queen looked at defiance.

"Do what you must to me, if you think it will give you peace," Hippolyta said. She looked at Lorelei with pure anger despite the sword being at her neck. "But I can assure you it won't do you any good."

"We'll see how much good it will do," Lorelei said. "You and your daughter will be excellent servants in the new order….and you'll grow to even enjoy it. Maybe not today."

"Not ever," Diana said. After all the stories she heard, she would never be subjugated by any man or any woman.

"Mmm, we'll see, won't we?" Lorelei asked. She blew Diana a kiss with a smile. "Let's see if we can bring them to their knees in a more conventional way."

"Artemis, you…you can't do this," Hippolyta said. She hung her head in shame for her moment of weakness. "You are weak, to allow Lorelei to put you under your control like this. Maybe I was mistaken for choosing you."

"My apologies," Artemis said, without blinking. "It didn't have to be this way."  
X-X-X  
The sounds of combat outside of the palace caused Kara, Donna, and Barbara's worry to increase.

"Lucky break getting past them," Kara murmured.

They slipped passed the guards and peered into a side window in the palace. The sight didn't improve the situation at all. Lorelei sat on the throne, and Diana and Hippolyta had been chained at her feet. The very sight made Kara's blood boil, and one look at Donna indicated she didn't look too much better.

"We need to do something," Donna said.

Barbara looked over her shoulder. She grabbed both Donna and Kara, and pulled them behind a cluster of trees.

Several royal guards passed them. The three girls held their collective breath for a long second, waiting for the guards to pass.

"We need to go in there, and do something," Donna said. Her anger almost hit a level where Kara had to physically restrain her. "Now, every moment….I don't…."

Kara held Donna in close. She could tell her girlfriend was coming closer to ripping through the doors and trying to attack Lorelei. Something which would cause them all to get caught.

"I know, I know, and we will," Kara said.

"We have to do something, and we will do something," Barbara said, in what she hoped was a soothing voice. "But, you need to calm down, and think this through."

Donna folded her arms. The time for thinking was done, and she couldn't keep calm with her mother and sister in danger. Especially considering half of the Amazons appeared to be underneath some kind of thrall.

"Yes, if we jump in there now, she'll just add you to the set," Kara said. "She wants to….I'm not sure what happened, why she has it out for your mother and sister at this point."

Kara frowned and thought of something else.

"The Amazons…the one who aren't part of the Elite Guard, they might not be aware of the danger they're in," Kara said.

"Then we should warn them," Donna said.

Kara agreed, at least on principle, but she feared some of the Amazons would react like Donna did and want to jump in there and fight. Some trigger happy Amazons jumping into battle was the last thing they needed right about now.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kara noticed some movement in the shadows. The Girl of Steel rose up to a standing position, and moved in to investigate.

A figure struck her at the speed of light. Kara launched into the air and slammed onto the ground with a surprising force. She struggled to see what hit her. The moment she regained her bearings, it was gone.

Donna ran over to help check on Kara, only for the same figure to hit her head on. Both fists connected to the side of the Amazon Princess, forcing her onto her knees. Donna didn't like being on her knees, unless it was for Kara, because she received pleasure out of it.

"They….they move too fast," Barbara said. She moved into the scene, and a figure dressed in green with a haunting set of green eyes stepped towards her. "Well, how did a member of the League get here?"

A woman dressed in the familiar garb of the League of Shadows, with her face obscured from a mask. Kara tried to get a closer look, but her X-Ray vision couldn't see past the mask.

"Use these," she said to Barbara, handing her a pair of ear plugs. "They'll block out Lorelei's control….unless she kisses you….so don't let her."

Kara rubbed her ears and realized, she placed ear plugs in them as well. Donna received the same treatment.

"Why did you just hand her the ear plugs, and knock us down?" Kara asked.

"Because she's the most level headed of you three," the mystery attacker said. "But, time is running short, and Lorelei will have every Amazon under her thrall, unless we do something."

"Who are you anyway?" Kara asked.

Something about her demeanor seemed familiar, but Kara couldn't place what.

"Just a traveler, a long way from home," she said. "I don't want to see the Amazons enslaved any more than you do…..I think we can help each other."

"Work with a member of the League?" Barbara asked.

"Do you have any other options?" the emerald-eyed woman asked.

Kara, Barbara, and Donna all exchanged nervous gazes. They really didn't.

* * *

 **To Be Continued January 11** **th** **, 2016.**


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty-Two: War of the Amazons Part Two.**

* * *

 ****Night fell over Themyscira and tension fell as well. Time didn't work on their side very well. Donna, Barbara, and Kara managed to stay out of sight, until they had plenty of cover of darkness. The mysterious emerald-eyed assassin returned to meet them. The girls remained on edge and were glad to have some level of communication with the assassin.

"Well," Kara said. Her eyes locked onto the young woman who approached her. Something made her feel a bit uneasy. Maybe it could be because a League of Assassin member stared her down? Regardless, Kara felt the tension and the impatience as she waited for an answer.

The long pause made her wonder if the assassin tried to keep them waiting. Kara placed her hand on Donna's shoulder, to prevent her from jumping in, even though Kara figured her jumping in would be inevitable.

"You're not just screwing us around, are you?" Donna asked.

Donna thought it was a logical question. This woman came out of nowhere, and expected the trio to trust her. There would be always be questions to someone like this.

The young assassin's eyes narrowed. She motioned for the three to follow her. Barbara made her way behind the mysterious woman first. With reluctance, Kara and Donna followed a couple of steps behind them as well. The two of them exchanged some glares, wondering if they could trust this person.

"I'm not playing games, I don't have the time to do so," the assassin said after a moment. She motioned for them to go around, and they passed a group of Amazons who had been knocked out. Donna hitched in a breath, and about opened her mouth to protest. The assassin stopped her from speaking. "Don't worry, they have been knocked out."

Donna worried despite the fact she was told not to worry. In fact, she worried even more when she had been told not to worry. Regardless, the princess continued to watch the mysterious assassin open up the door. The door clicked open and allowed them entry.

"Why are we going in this way?" Donna asked. "We should be storming the throne room and taking by the throne from….Lorelei!"

Kara sensed a last minute word swap from Donna. The Girl of Steel deepened her frown, turning on her foot. To be honest, Donna asked a pretty good question. Why were they going in this way, instead of through another direction?

The enchanting emerald eyed assassin had an answer for them.

"For one thing, you will get captured easily. For another thing, Lorelei decided to move your sister and mother down into the dungeons. Her control doesn't work as well as she thought. Lorelei hopes to do her best to weaken their resolve."

Donna crossed her arms. It wasn't like she didn't believe the mysterious assassin, who she didn't know her name, but something was wrong. Something was a bit off about this entire mess.

"There are guards down the hallway," the emerald-eyed woman said. She held herself back, with a smile crossing her face. "I've been monitoring them, they switch patrols every hour, exactly fifteen minutes after the hour, which is….right about now."

Kara and Donna stood tense, and the assassin slipped a glass orb down the hallway. The gas flowed from the orb, causing a cloud of gas to engulf the entire hallway.

Donna took advantage of the cloud cover of smoke and rushed into the darkness. She plowed one of the relief guards in the face. When she realized this Amazon was one of the traitors, she didn't hold her punches back.

Kara avoided the swing of the sword and followed on the dodge by plucking the sword out of her enemy's hand with one fluid motion. The Girl of Steel flipped over the top of her enemies head and stuck a landing. She punched into the chest of her adversary, and doubled him over.

Barbara decided to add a punch of her own to strike the back of her adversary. The vigilante grabbed her enemy around the head and slammed the Amazon back, putting her in position from a sliding kick from Donna, which caused the woman's legs to crumple out from underneath her.

"Looks like I have the key," Barbara said. "Now we have to find the prisoners."

Barbara smiled when she realized who she found. Diana looked at her, with a cut on her cheek. Hippolyta's intense gaze burned through the cell. Neither of them looked like very captive prisoners.

"There will be more guards coming, you need to hurry, Barbara," Hippolyta said. She looked at the young woman, an anxious expression spreading over her face. "You need to…."

"Don't worry, I have your back," Kara said. She waited for more guards to come down the hall, but none of them came. "I don't understand how the Amazons were put underneath Lorelei's thrall though."

The door opened and Diana and Hippolyta exited. They came across the emerald-eyed woman and Diana stepped back, a frown on her face.

"You were with her, when she arrived on the island," Diana said. The woman smiled for a brief second.

"I have my own goals….but none of them involve conquering the Amazons and forcing them to become slaves," the enchanting woman said. "If I wanted you, I'd take you, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Diana disagreed, but far more pressing matters than an argument cropped up. Hippolyta hand pressed on her daughter's shoulder and caused her to tense up.

"Let's take the throne back, Diana."

Diana's lips curled into a smile and she understood what they need to do. They'll take the throne back and they would do so, bringing Lorelei down. She wouldn't know what hit her.

"Yes, let's, Mother."

* * *

Lorelei sat on the throne of the Amazons, enjoying the leg room. Having numerous women at her beck and call made her feel at ease. The woman always was told she would never amount to anything, never had any ambition besides vanity, but her sister. Lorelei proved her sister wrong tonight.

 _'Let her continue her fruitless pursuit of a Thunder God who would barely look her way. I've got loftier ambitions in mind. The throne of the Amazons is mine, and nothing could stop me now.'_

One of the Amazons rubbing her foot caused Lorelei to break into a nice little smile. Servitude of beautiful woman, there was nothing better. For too long, she tried to subjugate men to her will, but they had been too easy. Women on the other end, women being bent made her feel good.

Bending women made Lorelei experience real power. Men were boring, and easily subjugated. Making other women hers gave her a sense of true triumph.

"Make sure to pay special attention to the toes," Lorelei said.

The doors of the palace burst open. Lorelei's expression turned into one of agitation, as opposed to amusement. Hippolyta tossed one of the guards down onto the ground and approached her.

"You're on my throne, I want it back."

Lorelei looked forward, eyebrow raised. She leaned from the throne, looking at Hippolyta. The woman turned her attention to the Amazons in the background, to Hippolyta and her daughters, and back to the Amazons in the background. Lorelei threw her head back and began to chortle in the highest level of amusement. Her laughter hit a fever pitch at the entire situation at Hippolyta's bravado. Seconds passed before Lorelei recovered enough to raise herself from the throne to face Hippolyta properly.

"Did you not hear me, Lorelei?" Hippolyta asked, annoyed by the lack of response.

"Hippolyta, you almost amuse me," Lorelei said. A twinkle flashed through the deranged goddess's eyes. "I don't think you understand the Amazons now serve me, as you should. But for your moment of arrogance, all will be forgiven. Providing you get on your knees before me and worship your goddess."

"Let me make one thing plain," Hippolyta said. She stood up to her full height. "I am the Queen of the Amazons, and I don't kneel before anyone willingly. Despite all the trials and the tribulations this sisterhood has been through….."

Lorelei once again broke Hippolyta's statement with laughter. She couldn't believe the bravado she ran into.

"Your trials and tribulations are meaningless when your house is divided," Lorelei said. She flew a lock of hair away from her face. The new Queen stood forward with the former Queen's elite guard. "I have united Amazons from across the world, and soon every single woman in the world will bow before me. Men will fall because of their weakness."

Hippolyta almost grew tired of Lorelei's ranting. She silenced the woman.

"You united them through coercion," Hippolyta said. The warrior queen withdrew the sword from her belt. "If you gave them the choice, who would they willingly follow."

"Some women did willingly follow me, they wanted you off the throne," Lorelei said. "And deep down…"

An ear splitting sound cut through the throne room to interrupt Lorelei's grand proclamation. The woman leaned on the throne, screaming her head off from the sound going through the room. The woman's mind diverted from the situation at hand and turned to the young blonde who activated the sonic device in the middle of the room.

Kara hoped this would work, in theory it should work, but at the same time, you never knew. Some of the Amazons, both rogue and native, shook their heads. The warriors came to their senses and few of the looked happy.

"What have you done?" Lorelei asked. She made a motion to grab Kara, but Hippolyta rushed in front of her, grabbing Lorelei's hand and blocking the madwoman from attacking.

The sinister siren winced. The control had been broken and now the Queen was at an advantage. She hated being anything, but at an advantage.

"I believe she leveled the playing field," Hippolyta said.

Some of the Amazons moved forward in a frantic attempt to defend Lorelei from the battle. Other Amazons threw themselves into combat in front of Hippolyta. Artemis in particular charged with the sword swinging into the battle. One of the fiercest Amazons tried to nail Hippolyta with a glancing blow.

"Stay away from my Queen," Artemis said.

Artemis swept the legs out from other the charging warrior to cause her to crash onto the ground. No sooner did the woman strike into the ground, Artemis hurled herself on top of the woman and started to pound on her with a vicious series of elbow strikes which cracked the flesh. The Amazon covered up, but Artemis was in the zone and kept drilling her opponent's face with the point of her elbow.

Two more Rogue Amazons attempted to save the third from a brutal fate. They run head on with two Amazon Princesses. Diana blocked the punch of one of them, and sent her flying back. Diana spun her around, wrapped a pair of strong arms around the head of the adversary, and put her to sleep.

Donna, with bloodlust in her eyes, flew into the air with a jumping kick. The kick slammed into the face of the Amazon warrior, knocking her out. Blood splattered everywhere when Donna backed off from her, a satisfied look in her face.

Lorelei dropped to her knees in front of Hippolyta and started to shake. The goddess understood when a situation turned south and now she looked up at Hippolyta. For once, the tables turned and Lorelei now sunk to her knees, at the mercy of an adversary who had little.

"Please, I'll…..I didn't mean…"

Hippolyta picked up Lorelei and tossed her across the room. The goddess slammed onto the ground. Something in the room disrupted her control. Hippolyta's strong will coupled with some kind of ear protection made Lorelei's enticing voice unable to break through the queen's barriers. Maybe if Lorelei dove in for a kiss, the woman might have a chance.

A snap caused Lorelei to look up. A device snapped around her head and mouth which caused the woman great levels of discomfort. Not to mention the inability to scream visited the woman, or speak. The device inhibited the woman's ability to escape through a portal.

Hippolyta punctuated the climax of the battle with one final kick. Lorelei dropped down to the ground with the wind knocked out of her.

"Well, I guess you did come through in the end," Kara said, taking a step to survey the entire aftermath of the battle. The young woman turned her head to face the mysterious ninja, but the mysterious woman vanished.

 _'I wonder if Helena has a sister she didn't know about.'_

Something to think about in the future. As of now, Kara resolved to help clean up the mess. _  
_

* * *

Lorelei's eyes burned with the epitome of hatred towards the Amazons and the mysterious woman who took her out, even if this woman didn't have the decency to show up. The humiliation spread through Lorelei's body.

"I know you can't speak, and if you did, you would no doubt talk about how this isn't over," Hippolyta said. Lorelei's burning gaze hit hers. Without her powers, Lorelei's actions amounted to a death glare here and a death glare there, which having two daughters, Hippolyta found herself immune to.

"The Amazons might have a common ground for the moment, but mistrust will tear you apart," one of the rogues said. "It's inevitable it will happen. When you fall Queen Hippolyta, another will pick up the pieces in your place. And they will not rule as gently as you have in the past."

A few of the Amazons remained loyal to Lorelei, but with the numbers against them, even the fiercest of Amazon warriors. Some of the rogues regarded Lorelei with as much contempt as their sisters did. The woman violated their trust and tried to manipulate them. Manipulate never went over well within the sisterhood. Some perceived Hippolyta as manipulating them.

A flash of light caused all of them to look up. Diana's eyes widened in particular and her mouth opened up in shock.

"Great Hera!"

The figure in the shadows chuckled before she spoke in great mirth.

"Not quite, but I appreciate the compliment. Not sure she would, but I do."

A strikingly tall woman stepped her way into greater prominence before the Amazons and Lorelei. The woman's dark black hair hung down her beautiful face in black curls. Blue eyes shined with power and passion. The woman held a sword to the side of her black and silver armor which fit around her body. Even beyond the armor, the Amazons appreciated how much she worked out. The woman's body curved in the most sensual way. Full breasts, wide hips, and long legs topped off a gorgeous body.

"Hey, Diana, your twin from another dimension has arrived," Donna said.

Diana smiled, hard not to notice the striking resemblance to be honest. The woman swept forward and turned her attention to the Queen of the Amazons. The woman's lips curled into a knowing smile. Diana stole a look at Lorelei in time to notice the death glare the woman gave the Queen of the Amazons all of this time increased in intensity.

"Queen Hippolyta, it honors me to meet you on this day," the tall woman said. The fiercesome warrior paid her respects. "My name is Lady Sif of Asgard and I have been sent here to fetch Lorelei after she had been set on Midgard. Alas, it is a different Midgard than I am used to, but regardless I need to pick her up before she can do much damage."

Sif hung her head for long enough where Kara, Barbara, and Donna exchanged looks. They wondered if some kind of backstory regarding why would be explained. None of them wanted to be the ones to speak as of now.

"Searching for Lorelei has been about as fun as finding a piece of hay in a needlestack," Sif said. She shrugged at the looks they received. "Asgardians have developed what might be considered rather peculiar pastimes among the people of Midgard."

"So, you have come here to take Lorelei?" Hippolyta asked.

The Queen meant no malice, but distrust occurred with a frequent amount of regularity. Sif smiled at the time she noticed Hippolyta's discomfort.

"Consult with the goddesses, they were the ones who pointed me towards Themscrycira," Sif said.

The Amazons waited with eagerness when Hippolyta disappeared into the shadows to consult with the goddesses. Sif kept her eyes on Lorelei. The device affixed around her neck made Sif's night so much easier, even if disappointment reigned through her regarding the fact a fight would not be at hand.

"I have consulted with the goddesses," Hippolyta said a moment later. "And they have pointed you in Lorelei's direction. Odin and Zeus are still arguing after all of these years."

A smile cracked over Sif's face at the thought of the two god's bickering.

"Yes, it is for reasons I doubt anyone fully understands," Sif said. She turned her head and gazed at Hippolyta with a shadow of a smile. "Regardless, you have agreed to leave Lorelei in my custody?"

"Yes, they said her crimes are far more vast than just attempting to enslave the Amazons," Hippolyta said. The Queen of the Amazons turned to the warrior goddess of Asgard. "Therefore, I leave her in your tender care."

"She could be of value, if she learns to keep her base impulses in check," Sif said. The warrior woman punctuated her statement with a long sigh. "Her older sister eggs her on sometimes, and….well Amora is not without her obsessions."

Sif sighed; some people could be with their obsessions which only served to cause other people to get hurt. The woman turned her attention from the thoughts of the obsessive women to the collar around Lorelei's neck. Sif's mouth hung open the second she recognized the collar on Lorelei's neck. The fierce warrior women realized only one person could make the collar.

"Send the Dragon my regards should you see her next," Sif said.

Kara hung her mouth open at those words. The Girl of Steel didn't have much of a chance to register those thoughts when Sif disappeared into a flash of light, taking Lorelei through the portal with her.

Donna blinked for the longest moment, and uttered the words for Kara.

"The Dragon?" Donna asked. The youngest Amazon Princess stared down Barbara and Kara. The two of them stared back and responded by shrugging at each other. The longest of moments passed.

The more answers they sought the more questions which cropped up to taunt them.

* * *

The rogue Amazons left the island some time later. The leader of the splinter tribe agreed to punish those who willingly conspired with Lorelei to invade the island. Hippolyta hoped they could come to some kind of accord, but there were some things which couldn't really be fixed. The Queen of the Amazons allowed a long sigh to escape her body and took a moment to lean against a pillar. Hippolyta's full weight pressed against the pillar when she watched the rogues leave. Reluctant she was, Hippolyta cut them free and allowed them to leave.

 _'It's a shame.'_

Diana walked up from behind her mother. The Amazon Princess took several long strides to approach her mother, but stopped short of coming in behind her. Diana watched them leave as well and placed a hand on her mother's shoulder. Hippolyta turned around, almost startled for a second, but she relaxed at the presence of her daughter.

"Are you just going to let them leave?" Diana asked. The princess watched her former Amazons leave, some of them she knew rather well.

"Pride gets the better of us sometimes, and….they forged their own path," Hippolyta said. "I cannot force them to stay….remember the lessons which I taught you and your sister."

"This island is not a prison, it's a sanctuary," Diana said. The events of the last day gave Diana a sufficient amount to think about.

And no doubt she would spend the next number of days considering all she learned.

"The Amazons who weren't underneath Lorelei's thrall promise to take care of those who are underneath Lorelei's thrall," Hippolyta said. Diana's gasp showed the Queen her oldest daughter echoed her fears. "I hope to Hera they will show mercy."

Diana didn't want to say her mother was wrong but her faith in the tribe of Amazons not outright executing the traitors weren't very high. The warrior princess appreciated the situation her mother encountered and found herself grateful she was not in the position. Diana didn't know if she could take the high road and allow them to leave.

"At least Donna, Barbara, and Kara's departure from the island will go without a hitch," Diana said. "Other than the one hiccup, their trip has been quite marvelous."

"And they should be honored for their bravery," Hippolyta said. Diana smiled at her mother. "But, it's unfortunate the fourth party departed before she could properly be thanked."

"The Dragon as Lady Sif said," Diana said. The Amazon Princess's face contorted into a frown which didn't fit her face. Another one of those circumstances hit where more questions popped up than a multitude of answers. "What do you think the Dragon means?"

"There are myths," Hippolyta said. The Amazon Queen walked out to address her people, but stopped. "If you learn one thing, my daughter, reality can be more fascinating than any myth."

Diana nodded. Her mother spoke with much wisdom, as always.

Kara, Donna, and Barbara sat in a spot of honor while waiting for the Queen of the Amazons to give their speech. All three girls thought hard about the events of the previous day, but Kara in particular thought the hardest.

"I've known you the longest," Barbara said placing her hand on Kara's. Kara turned her attention to Barbara. "And I know when something is eating you."

Kara smiled, Barbara did know her all too well.

"So, spit it out," Barbara said.

And Barbara could get pushy when she wanted information.

"The Dragon, who is she?" Kara asked.

"She does have a presence about her, and she helped us," Donna said. The fiery princess frowned for a long moment. "But, what is her game?"

The question haunted Kara along with one other fact which continued to torment her. Something about the Dragon, or whoever she was, seemed familiar. Something about her demeanor caused Kara to wonder if she encountered the woman in the past. The entire notion sounded very absurd, but could it have been the case?

With respect, Kara turned to listen to the Queen of the Amazons when she prepared to address them all. The night wrapped up with a good feast, and likely the aftermath would be just as extraordinary as well.

As Donna and Diana proved, the Amazons always knew how to unwind.

* * *

A terrified teenager ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Said legs almost weighed her down due to the fact she ran for so long. The woman almost slumped against the wall, but held herself up because some rather frantic pursuers chased her.

The woman's innocent face contrasted her mature body. A tattered black shirt and torn shorts covered her body. The young woman's large breasts almost began to burst from her shirt, and her ass stretched the already worn material in the shorts. She ran several miles without any shoes, and blisters started to manifest on her feet.

Some men in military fatigues approached her. The woman backed in the alleyway. They chased her out of her shelter, and the young girl shivered with fear. She shuddered to think what they did to the nice people who gave her a home when her previous home had been destroyed.

"Alright, hands in the air where we can see them….nice and easy…no one needs to get hurt, if you just cooperate."

A single tear of frustration rolled down the woman's face. The woman's hands started to twitch.

"Stand back, please, stand back," she said, frustrating filling her face. "STAND BACK!"

The ground started to rock underneath her as it normally did during moments of stress. The woman's heartrate increased the more the ground started to rock underneath her.

"Stop, it, stop it!"

Terror gripped her body, she couldn't stop it. The power controlled her for the moment and the streets cracked underneath the woman's blister covered feet.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on January 15** **th** **, 2016.**


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter Forty-Three: Tremors Part One.**

* * *

Patricia Swann made some quick strides to the meeting room in Star Labs. She waited for an extremely important meeting, with some very important meeting. After the incident regarding Supergirl and the black Kryptonite had been tied back to her, along with her controversial re-hiring of Caitlin Snow, after she became Killer Frost, the board of directors breathed down Patricia's neck. She refused to cave into them, even though she could be one wrong move away from being shuttled out of the door. The STAR Labs head needed to watch her step if she wanted to keep from getting thrown out the door.

Fortunately, for her at least, the meeting should be able to go on without a hitch. The woman waited for the several parties to arrive. The door swung open and Patricia bounced off into a standing position to see the guests invited to this meeting show up.

The statuesque blonde woman entered the room. Shoulder length hair came down to her shoulders. The woman filled out her business suit rather nicely, fitting around her ample bust. A skirt flowed down past her knees to cover the top half of her stocking clad legs. A shorter, and less stacked, but still gorgeous, blonde followed. She dressed in a business suit, with a black headband on her head.

"Ms. Starr, welcome, so glad to have you here," Patricia said.

"It's a good thing I'm here," the woman said. "And please, call me, Karen, we are going to be working rather closely together."

Karen reached towards her and grabbed Patricia's hand. Patricia experienced a rather firm grim from Karen's hand when the two ladies shook hands.

"This is my assistant Gwen Stacy," Karen said. She turned to Gwen. "Gwen, this is Doctor Patricia Swann, I know you've studied her work, even though the two of you have never met."

"Doctor Swann, it's an honor, a real honor to meet you," Gwen said. A bright twinkle flashed through the young woman's eye as she reached towards Karen and shook her hand. "I can't believe I'm going to meet the Patricia Swann….you helped Superwoman….."

Gwen's babbling had been cut off by a little bit of laughter by Patricia. She didn't mean to laugh, but it always amused her when people talked about her work with Supergirl.

"Yes, a little bit," Patricia said. She closed her eyes for a long moment. Not enough where it would make much of a difference. Her father's legacy didn't quite match up to his intentions.

Helena Wayne joined them a few moments later ,along with an attractive dark skinned woman, who Patricia knew as Tamara Fox. Tamara picked up the slack her father, Lucius, left after retiring several years back. Thea Queen followed into the room, with a slender blonde with her hair clipped back, wearing a red blouse and a nice skirt. She handed Thea something.

"Thank you Felicity," Thea said with a smile. The blonde sat down next to Thea.

The entire group sat down, with Patricia fixing them some coffee. Caitlin joined them to act as Patricia's personal assistant.

"Sorry we couldn't all get together before now," Helena said.

"Well, all of us lead very active lives, and have pretty active schedules," Karen said. She tried not to smile too knowingly, but a flicker of one spread over her face. "Which makes us need to get down to business straight away."

"Right, I agree," Patricia said. "We pretty much have the proposal ready…..but we just need to iron out a few kinks."

"This new communication grid will be state of the art," Thea said.

"I agree, and the government….is rather interested in having first dibs on it before it's out in the public," Helena said. The Wayne heiress scrunched up her face while wrapping her hand up into a fist.

The government always wanted to get their hands on technology would had a greater purpose. Judging by the looks of the faces of all of the women at the table, Helena was far from in the minority regarding her agitation.

"They wish to weaponize it," Karen said. She crumpled a hand around a piece of paper. "We want to use it to bring people together for more communication, and make their communication more secure."

All of them nodded. Someone at the table needed to play devil's advocate, even though it was not a prime position to be in.

"I can see the government's point from a certain angle," Tamara said. She looked at them with a frown, but relaxed when the group realized she only played devil's advocate. "As much as normal people are going to use these services, the bad guys are going to use it just as much. And take advantage of it just as much"

The entire group exchanged some grim nods around the table.

"It's a concern," Karen said. "But, I'm sure we're going to always find a way around it."

The group all considered this. They hoped to iron out all of these growing concerns before going online officially.

"Are your father's old satellites good enough for this?" Helena asked.

Patricia cupped her hand underneath her chin. She brought out the research she did on the problem of utilizing her father's old satellites and placed them down on the table with the rest of the group.

"In theory, they should be powerful enough to cause this entire communication grid to be sustained, with some modifications," Patricia said.

"How long do you think it would take to get some new satellites up?" Karen asked.

"If anything, it would be a good year or more," Patricia said. She held the paper up to her hand. "For obvious reasons, we can't wait an entire year to get it up in the air. We need to have these satellites ready and functional as soon as possible."

Everyone around the table nodded in agreement, with all of them realizing the importance of them, for all of their companies. In recent months, Wayne, Queen, and Star Labs all had some difficulties with their board of directors. Pooling together their resources, along with Starrwave's, should prove to lead to an extremely powerful combination which none can fight.

"Star is still fighting me on this, as you know," Patricia said. "After Caitlin…not your fault, and the Black Kryptonite….."

Patricia sighed. One of these things happened would be easily explainable, but several happening at once. The Board of Directors were greedy and always looked for ways to position themselves better. The moment the board found a weakness, they pounced like ravenous hyenas.

"We understand how important this is to you, and we'll get it working," Helena said. She leaned towards her. "If I might make a suggestion."

Patricia smiled at Helena and motioned for her, saying she was pretty much all ears.

* * *

 ****In the intensity of all of the meetings Patricia entered, she almost forgot the lunch date with Kara she arranged. The woman sat at a construction zone. After the Joker's rampage, there happened to be a lot of construction around Metropolis. The rebuilding process took several months to do.

Realizing she had a bit of time, Patricia fished her cell phone from her pocket and dialed up Kara's number. A few seconds later caused her to receive an answer.

"Hey, Kara, sorry, I'm stuck in traffic," Patricia said.

"Well, I was stuck knocking around some goons who thought it would be funny to hijack a train," Kara said. "I'm just wrapping up things….but it makes me feel good you don't have to wait."

"Yeah, me too," Patricia said. "Looks like the construction people are giving the go ahead and…I'll be there….well a bit slower than faster than a speeding bullet."

"Hey, take your time, don't worry," Kara said.

Patricia really had no choice, but to take her time. The woman did appreciate the fact Kara would wait. Patricia leaned back in the car and waited for it to arrive at its destination point. She took a long breath and waited in the most impatient fashion possible. Her fingers started to drum in an impatient manner on the side of the seat of the car.

After a moment which seemed like a long time, Patricia arrived at the destination. Kara already waited for the scientist. Patricia exited the car and walked towards the destination, seeing the smile of the young Kryptonian when the frazzled young woman approached.

"It looks like your vacation has done you a lot of good," Patricia said. The scientist sunk down in a chair.

Kara surveyed Patricia across the table with many thoughts going through the mind of the Girl of Steel. Everything didn't look good if Kara could read the facial expressions on the woman's face correctly. Patricia looked frazzled, at least from what Kara could see.

"And it looks like you need a vacation, and it would do you about as much good," Kara said.

Patricia only responded with a very unlady like snort. Both of the women paused their conversation when the server asked the couple what they wanted. Seconds passed, before the woman left. Kara reached towards Patricia and gripped the hand of the scientist with a firm squeeze.

"Seriously though, you looked rather frazzled," Kara said. Genuine concern passed across the fearsome female's face. "What's up?"

"Well, nothing too….well there's a lot of life changing things going on," Patricia said. The breeze outside of Metropolis caused Patricia to pause before the female launched into an explanation for the Girl of Steel. "STAR Labs has decided to monitor my actions, and the Board of Directors have been watching me like a hawk."

Kara groaned at what Patricia said about the board of directors watching the woman like a hawk. The Girl of Steel swam with the tiniest amount of guilt.

"This has nothing to do with the incident with the Black Kryptonite, does it?" Kara asked. The moment of hesitation spreading through her companion's eyes caused Kara's heart to sink somewhere down the area of the heroine's stomach. "It does, doesn't it?"

"Among other things," Patricia said. A long pause followed, long enough for the server to deliver the food. Patricia took the warm soup and took a long slurp of it. "My father set up this lab to help the Traveler in her exploits. STAR Labs needed some really big backers, but some of them are getting greedy, and everything has gotten way too corporate."

Kara thought about what Patricia was going through with the stock holders. The woman put off an air of being composed at least ninety five percent of the time. The five percent of the time Patricia wasn't composed made things seem so foreign.

"I didn't have any idea….I'm sorry if you're having any problems," Kara said, touching the top of Patricia's hand. "Especially if they're on my account."

"I didn't mean to ruin your day," Patricia said. "It's just….."

Kara leaned in and stole a quick and comforting kiss from Patricia. The woman relaxed when Kara's lips pressed against hers.

"You didn't ruin my day," Kara said. A shadow of a smile crossed over the young woman's face. "It turns out we're having a lot of the same problems. Claire….well I'm not sure if I can help her."

Patricia responded with a nod, it all came back to Claire, the Traveler, the former Superwoman, now known as Nightwing. Whatever someone wanted to call such a woman, The businesswoman would not mince words, the situation looked to be fucked up beyond all possible recognition, a really bad scenario no matter how a person sliced it.

"There are just some problems you can't super punch out," Patricia said.

Kara laughed, but the statement hit too close to home. Unfortunately, Patricia struck a cord with the heroine, some problems a person just couldn't super punch out.

The ground underneath the dining couple started to shake. Kara's head whipped back and peered out of the corner of her eye. Some military types exited a vehicle and looked to be in a hurry.

"Interesting," Kara murmured, practically fidgeting in her chair.

"So, does this look like a job for Supergirl?" Patricia asked.

Kara groaned for moment, before nodding. The vacation did the Girl of Steel a lot of good, but playtime ended and the real work occurred. The disguised heroine slapped some money down on the table, give Patricia a kiss, finished her soup, and drink, and then bolted out of the door, faster than most people could blink.

"At least she didn't leave me with the bill," Patricia said. "Even though I can pay it."

Regardless, Patricia even found herself curious to what the hell was going. Earthquakes were not common in Metropolis. Could be a crime or some kind of meta-human.

* * *

When trouble occurred, one could find Lois Lane not too far from the scene of the insanity. The Daily Planet reporter heard of the earthquakes and arrived to snoop around. The military types swarming around caused Lois not to be discouraged. The daughter of General Sam Lane knew exactly how to handle these guys.

"In case you couldn't tell from all the signs, this is a restricted area, Missy."

' _Seriously, calling a woman Missy in this day and age. Seriously?_

One of the soldiers stepped in to face Lois. Lois eyed him in an instant and understood the man looked burly, in a bad mood for some reason.

"Yeah, I'm Lois Lane….the Daily Planet….and….it seems like you boys are chasing down someone….."

"What the hell is going on here?"

Lois recognized a familiar face pop up. Granted the familiar face looked to be a little bit older than the last time the reporter met him, but the thought still counted. The man chuckled when similar recognition dawned on him as well.

"Lois Lane, I should have known you would have been in the middle of this."

"General Wade Eilling," Lois said.

"I remember you when you were barely up to your father's knee," Eilling said. The gruff general responded with a chuckle. "And it looks like you're still causing a little bit of trouble."

"Just a little bit of a trouble?" Lois asked. The reporter frowned for the longest moment. "And it looks like you're still answering to the same people you're always answering to."

"A dangerous fugitive has ran into the area, might be one of those….meteor monsters, your girlfriend spent half of her childhood fighting," Eilling said. Lois didn't say anything. "So, you know if left unchecked, one of those freaks has the power to bring down half of Metropolis just in a snap."

Two of the troops escorted Lois away from the premises causing a surly expression to fill the journalist's face. For the moment, Lois allowed the troops to lead her away, just for a moment. The hard-nosed woman tried to locate another way around.

"When there's trouble, you're not hard to find."

Lois turned around and noticed Supergirl hovering in the shadows. The reporter's mouth hung open for a second.

"So, you're back from vacation," Lois said.

"Sorry, I didn't have a chance to check in," Kara said. The Girl of Steel watched the progress of the men who wheeled out a large cylinder object into the scene. "What are they after?"

"After a meteor mutant apparently," Lois said.

"Oh, seriously, another one?" Chloe asked. The young woman popped into the ear piece in Kara's ear.

"And Chloe is groaning at the fact there's another meteor mutant around," Kara said. The woman's lips curled into a long frown when another thought entered her mind. "There could be other reasons for this one's powers though."

"And here it is, another one," Lois said. The woman experienced a brief tremor. "They might be upsetting whoever this is when they're chasing him or her down."

"This branch of the government doesn't care about anything past their next lab experiment, "Kara said. The heroine's eyes swept over the scene and a groan escaped from the back of Kara's throat. "Eilling, I should have known he would be at the bottom of this."

"It's always him," Lois said. The reporter's violet eyes swam with the hint of concern. "Not I should be telling anyone to be careful, but do you really think you should be here. They could capture you in a second."

"Only if I've gotten really sloppy," Kara said. "I can handle anything they can throw down."

Lois frowned, famous last words, ones the reporter hoped Kara wouldn't end up choking on.

* * *

The dark haired woman stumbled into a factory, heart pounding heavily. The terrified female hoped beyond all hope she slipped away from these bastards. Terror spread further at the thought of what those monsters must have done to the people who sheltered her.

The young woman shuddered, a cold wave washing of her body.

 _'I never did anything in my life to anyone. I tried to….my powers never hurt anyone. Why would they go after me? Why would they….'_

A blur came into the building in front of the girl's eyes. The teenager started to rise to a standing position. The girl's stance remained shaky at best.

"Who is there…who is…who are you?"

A red "s" came into greater prominence. The woman stepped back for a long moment, seeing another woman hovering over her. From what the terrified young girl spotted in the shadows, the other party's blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, a blue shirt with a red "S" covered the upper half of the mystery girls body. A flowing red miniskirt showcased reds.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not here to hurt you."

"You're not?"

The super powered young girl took a deep breath.

"The tremors you're causing, they're drawing attention to you," the young woman said. The woman reached down and offered a hand. The girl took it in a fairly shaky manner, stumbling to a standing position.

The young girl bit down on her lip for the longest of moments. The older girl reached down, offering a hand.

"How do I know this isn't some kind of trick?" the girl asked.

"You're going to have to trust me, aren't you?"

"Just who are you?"

"I'm Kara," the older woman said.

"Atlee, my name is Atlee….I've….I've been running for so long, I'm not sure if I can ever go home," Atlee said. "I'm not sure if there is a home anymore."

Kara frowned with a frustrated thought passing over her mind. To be honest, Kara could understand where the young woman came from. The frustration Kara experienced the moment Krypton blew up made her emphasize with the young girl more than anything.

"There will be a way, trust me," Kara said.

"They've been chasing me forever, my feet hurt so badly," Atlee said.

Kara knew why, the blisters on Atlee's feet stuck out in prominence. How long had the terrified female been running to begin with anyway? Kara only began to guess and the thought of how much time passed caused a feeling of despair to rise through the pit of the blue-eyed beauty's mind. Regardless, Kara knew one thing, getting Atlee out of there was the highest priority.

"I'm going to….I'm going to get you to a safe place," Kara said.

"I'm not sure if there's any place which is safe," Atlee said. The girl reached up with trembling hands and placed them around Kara's neck. "They keep chasing me, no matter where I go, they keep finding me…..ever since they shot me with the dart back when they drove me out of my home….didn't do them much good, the dart didn't hurt me."

In Atlee's babblings, Kara realized something. The dart wasn't meant to stop Atlee, or even slow her down.

The doors of the factory bursting open made Kara realize how they kept finding the girl, about a second too late.

* * *

Eilling almost rubbed his hands together with glee. The general turned around to address his troops, all of them falling into line with the new toys they picked up from a recent raid.

"Boys, Intergang leaving their goods lying around and us confiscating them was the best thing ever," Eilling said. "And our little….earth mover, she should be around here somewhere. The tracker is going stronger."

"These weapons were said to be able to take down Supergirl," one of the men said in an excited voice.

"Yeah, why is Supergirl still flying around if these weapons could take her down?" another man asked. "If you ask me….."

Eilling smiled and lifted up the tracker device. The sadistic general switched his attention to one of his men, who packed a large bazooka.

"Looks like our newest guest is inside somewhere," Eilling said. The man's teeth twisted into a smile. "Richards, why don't we knock on the front door?"

Richards looked a bit too excited when pulling the trigger. An energy cannon blast rocked the front door open, causing toothpicks to fly in every direction.

Eilling stepped in front of the smoke and the rubble. A stack of crates wasn't any deterrent for Eilling or his men.

"Blow her cover."

One pull of the trigger and the crates had been destroyed. The second the smoke clear, a blur shot out and ran into the jaw of the offending officer. Two more of the military personnel slammed down to the ground as the attacker bounced at them at the speed of light. A crushing force knocked them all down.

Eilling took a step back. A smile spread over his face at the sight before him.

"Well, well, if it isn't Supergirl," the general said with a wicked smile. "Did my birthday come along early? I think it did."

Eilling picked up one of the weapons and personally delivered the shot to the Girl of Steel. An energy ball shot from the cannon and struck the woman in the back. The general experienced satisfaction no skills were lost during his time of being caught behind the desk.

The most gruesome pain Kara ever felt racked through her body. The bolt of energy stabbed through Kara's body, hyper-stimulating the pain sensors all at once. The Girl of Steel dropped to the ground like a dead weight. Eilling stood over the top of her.

"There's a bounty on your head for your crimes against humanity," Eilling said. "And I'm going to collect it personally."

Before Eilling could do the deed, a hand hoisted him off of the ground and hurled him through an open window. The general landed with a nasty plop into a nearby dumpster.

Kara tried to look up and block out the pain. A new super powered blur came in and started to take out the remaining troops and dismantle their weapons. Atlee rushed over to reach over and grabbed Kara.

"Are you okay?" Atlee asked.

"Just….in agonizing pain," Kara said. The yellow sunlight coming through the recently broken window accelerated Kara's healing process a little bit, but it could not minimize her sufferings.

"Don't worry, I'll get both of you out of here."

Kara looked up and saw a tall blonde with an amazing body. The stacked woman's shoulder length hair framed the woman's gorgeous face and stunning eyes. The woman dressed in a white one piece costume which had a hole showing overflowing cleavage. Kara racked her brain for a thought of how this costume design could be considered practical, but the Girl of Steel enjoyed the sight of this mystery woman's rack all of the same. A blue cape flowed down covering the woman's back off, along with blue gloves.

"Another Kryptonian survivor?" Kara asked.

Kara realized she came face to face with someone who looked like an older sister to the Girl of Steel. Questions rose in Kara's mind.

"Call me Power Girl," she said.

"Right," Kara said.

"Get in there, don't let any of them escape."

"Why won't they leave me alone?" Atlee asked.

Frustrated teenage hormones and super powers always proved to be a bad combination as Atlee started to rock the factory, causing debris to fall and fly. On the bright side, the debris blocked the process of the military. On the negative side, the flying debris prevented them from escaping the military.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on January 19** **th** **, 2016.**


	44. Chapter 44

_Vote for your favorite chapter last week on my profile.  
_

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Four: Tremors Part Two.**

* * *

Kara managed to just barely recover from getting blasted with the weapon in time to be visited with a new problem. Atlee's powers started to freak out in the worst way. The good news is, the powers caused the men who chased her halfway across the city to back off. The troops threw their hands up to shield their faces.

The problem as Kara deduced it was they were caught in the middle of the room. The Girl of Steel experienced the sensation of powers slowly returning, but too slow for her liking. The young woman started to rock her arms back and forth in an insane motion.

' _Come on, return back, damn it.'_

"Stand back!" Karen yelled. The young woman rushed forward and grabbed onto the pillar. With immense strength, Power Girl held it up. "Do you think you can get her out of there?"

Kara nodded in response. The young woman wrapped her arm around Atlee, and held onto her, hovering above the ground. The terrified woman slumped against Kara's body, shivering like a madwoman. The ground rocked a lot less now Kara held her up off of it.

"Hang on, this is going to be a bumpy one," Kara said. She only resumed about eighty percent of her powers, and it wasn't a good thing some of the military goons started to shoot at her.

Kara closed her eyes and summoned all of the strength necessary to make a quick blast. She shielded Atlee from the majority of the impact, blasting through the door like a cork. The woman cleared the door for the longest second. Almost, but not quite, as the sounds of pittering feet came down next to her.

Power Girl realized they had left, which meant she could drop the pillar. The debris started to fly again, which caused Power Girl to give herself enough room to blast out of the back entrance of the building. Almost flying backwards, Power Girl came seconds away from hitting the wall hard nearby.

"They're coming around from the other end!" Atlee yelled.

Kara remembered how dangerous the combination of super powered hormones and a frantic situation could be. The men started to arm the weapons, pointing them at the girls. Power Girl threw herself in front of them.

"Keep back, this is going to be a bumpy ride!"

The buxom heroine drew breath and blew with super breath. The super breath kicked up to a brand new level and launched a gale force type wind at them. The air started to cool down and forced the troops to back up to higher ground. The wind storm continued when Power Girl inhaled for a second and exhaled another time.

Supergirl watched, half in awe. The rumbling of another vehicle caused the Girl of Steel to groan. Could her day get any worse? Kara didn't know, but she didn't really want to find out. Regardless, the young woman moved back a little bit.

 _'The anti-vigilante task force, of course,'_ she thought.

Kara hated this day already, and the worse it got, the more moody she got.

"This way!" Power Girl yelled.

Dare Supergirl follow this mysterious woman who looked like she could be Kara's older sister? The Kryptonian survivor racked through several ideas in the back of her mind and decided for the most part, there was really nothing to lose, at least at the moment.

' _Why not?'_ Kara thought. _'What do I have to lose anyway?'_

Atlee looked shaken up, and they needed to have a place where the two of them didn't have any guns pointed at them. Making a split second decision, Supergirl understood what needed to be done now.

"Where are we going?" Supergirl asked.

"Just follow my lead, and no one panic, okay!" Power Girl yelled.

Follow her lead and don't panic, Supergirl almost snorted. Talk about easier said than done. Regardless, the Girl of Steel thought following this mysterious heroine who did save her ass was a bit more preferred them playing a dangerous game of tag with the Anti-Vigilante Task force. Perhaps she grew a bit soft in her old age.

Power Girl led them off into the other direction. For now, they were out of the woods.

 _'Didn't think I'd run into her this soon,'_ Power Girl thought. The buxom heroine sighed. _'Guess I'm going to have to explain….where to begin though, where to begin?'_

' _The beginning?'_ a voice asked in the back of Power Girl's head.

' _Thanks, Captain Obvious,'_ Karen thought. _  
_X-X-X  
Supergirl finally caught her breath, but by catching her breath, the Girl of Steel's mind buzzed with an amazing amount of questions. Atlee and both heroines made their way up towards the underground entrance. The dark haired teenager started to look around, mouth wide open for a long second.

"They're going to find me again, you better just let me go," Atlee said. "I'll be fine."

A stern look filled Power Girl's eyes. Atlee knew when a battle had been lost in an instant when Power Girl bared down onto her.

"You weren't fine, and don't worry, you're going to get the help you need," Power Girl said.

Supergirl remembered something Atlee mentioned and turned towards the buxom heroine.

"Atlee mentioned she had been nailed with a dart, but it didn't take her out," Supergirl said. The woman turned to face her. Kara tried to recover from how much this buxom beauty resembled her in pretty much every way possible. "Do you think…."

"She had been tagged by some sort of tracker?" Power Girl asked. Supergirl took a long look at her counterpart and nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised….but I have the facilities down here….not as big as my main lab, but it will do us well."

Power Girl would have brought them to the main facilities, but she still wanted to keep the entire secret identity thing in check. Plus half of the facilities were rented out to a friend of hers.

 _'Guess, I don't even trust myself,'_ Power Girl thought. _'Which is only the pinnacle to all of the issues I have.'_

Power Girl escorted Atlee into a chamber by the hand. The young girl sat down, a bit nervous given the circumstances. Power Girl flashed a brilliant smile and reached forward, touching her hand.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," Power Girl said.

Atlee looked at the older woman, after running away for so long, it was hard to trust anyone. Not because Atlee distrusted people by nature, but because every single person she trusted ended up dead or worse.

"What if they find us before…." Atlee said for a long moment, before she trailed off. Both of the blonde heroines stared her down and Atlee swallowed a lump in her throat. "It's just every time I turn around, someone is after me and it's really terrifying. I can't even blink without someone being down my neck, and I don't want it to….."

Atlee's words deflated for a long moment. A long sigh followed with the young girl shaking her head. Someone of fifteen years of age shouldn't have to worry about the government chasing her down at pretty much every turn. She shouldn't have to worry about leading people who help her into countless danger. Atlee worried about all of those things and more. At least, the girl calmed down enough for her powers not to cause a problem.

Meanwhile Kara waited for a long moment. As much as the Girl of Steel wanted to rattle off every single question she wanted to ask about Power Girl, the fact Atlee needed help and Power Girl provided it made her stop. Still, a lot of questions filled Kara's mind and the lack of answers didn't help with her comfort level anyway.

 _'Weird she pops up just out of nowhere,'_ Kara thought. _'Haven't had the best batting average with other survivors of Krypton….providing she's a survivor of Krypton to begin with. The jury is still out. With Power Girl's….um, powers, how else could she be.'_

Supergirl's rambling thoughts became a bit stunted the second Power Girl broke into a triumphant look.

"Could you please turn around?" Power Girl asked. The buxom beauty placed a hand on the back of Atlee's neck. "This will hurt, but don't worry, it will only hurt for a second."

Atlee relaxed, trusting it wouldn't hurt for too long. A stinging sensation spread down the back of her neck, all the way through her spine. Atlee cringed at the thought of what happened, feeling a riding pain continue to escalate through her body.

"What?" Atlee asked. The woman hitched in a deep breath in her body and allowed it to be brought out a moment later.

Karen smiled. They had just hit the jackpot.

"Just as we thought, the dart which they shot you with," Karen said. A long pause followed and Atlee nodded. Karen held up a small dark object between her fingers, showing it to Atlee. "It was a tracking device, so they could follow you if they slipped away."

Karen crushed the tracking device between her fingers, causing no one to be able to follow it again. Thanks to the heavy shielding in this secondary facility, no one could follow the tracking device to begin with, but Karen didn't want to have to take any chances.

"Why don't you get some rest?" Power Girl asked.

Atlee decided it would be for the best. The woman felt more tired and her feet killed her. Power Girl escorted her into the next room, leaving Supergirl standing there for a long moment.

 _'Okay, she's safe, good,'_ Kara thought.

The moment Power Girl returned, Supergirl bounced up, staring right into the eyes of the heroic vixen.

"What the hell is going on?" Supergirl asked.

Power Girl frowned for the longest moment. Something told her Supergirl would ask her a question along those lines. In fact, Power Girl assumed Supergirl would be asking the exact question because if the roles had been reversed, Power Girl would ask the very same question. Power Girl almost laughed.

Supergirl misinterpreted the laughter. The Girl of Steel scowled so hard at Power Girl, it only caused the young woman's laughter to increased.

"You better not scowl too hard, your face will freeze," Power Girl said.

"I asked a serious question," Supergirl said. Given how her patience had been lately, the lack of an answer. "Where did you come from?"

Power Girl almost laughed at the intense and serious way Supergirl focused on her. Was Karen like this at this age? She didn't know, it had been a long time. And the circumstances with the two of them were different despite being one and the same.

"I moved into Metropolis from a long way away," Power Girl said. "And just in time too, I needed to help with the growing crime rate. With Intergang out of the picture, and the Joker gone, all of their toys are still scattered everywhere."

Kara frowned; this mysterious woman didn't really tell her much of anything she didn't already know to be honest.

"It's been climbing up ever since Superwoman left the scene," Power Girl said. "The people in Metropolis need another heavy hitter."

Kara's scowl, if anything else, deepened. Before Power Girl could make a comment, Kara jumped in.

"I'm doing what I can," Supergirl said. The implication she wasn't doing a sufficient effort stuck in Kara's craw and caused the young woman to glare at the buxom one.

"I didn't discount the effort you've been putting in," Power Girl said. "But, you do need help….and I'm here to offer it….you're not about to turn me down, are you?"

"I just hope you're in this city for all of the right reasons," Supergirl said.

Power Girl frowned, she was going throw the mistrust phase. Likely because she hung around one too many bats already in her short career . And there was a couple of reasons why Power Girl was in town which Supergirl wouldn't necessarily like.

' _Hopefully she understands in the end,'_ Power Girl thought.

"Rest assure, I'm here to help you in any way I can," Power Girl said. Supergirl continued to stare down the other young woman for an extremely long time. "If you're willing to have me help you."

Supergirl conceded she needed all of the help she can get and then some more, a lot more come to think of it. Maybe Power Girl wouldn't be the worst person to enlist for help, at least for the moment.

"I have just one question," Supergirl said. Power Girl blinked and motioned for the Girl of Steel to continue. "Are you Kryptonian?"

The powerful and older heroine paused for a long second.

"It's complicated," Power Girl said.

Supergirl hated when someone used the "it's complicated" expression on her. Regardless, Kara spun around and figure there wouldn't be any good explanation. The Girl of Steel peered outside of the window, to the world beneath.

"I'll be around," Supergirl said.

Power Girl noticed the tension in her tone of voice. Overall, she wouldn't expect anything else from her younger counterpart. As a matter of fact, it would have been difficult for her not to show any amount of tension.

"Later, then," Power Girl said.

"Yes, later," Supergirl said.

The tension in the air could be sliced with a knife. Kara decided to be the one to extend the olive branch.

"I'll be here if you need me."

Supergirl wondered if she should accept help. On the one hand, Power Girl came through today, and rescued both her and Atlee from a tight spot. On the other hand, the mysterious and vague origins of her origin caused Supergirl to regard her with suspicion.

"Thank you."

Supergirl flew out the window, going faster than a speeding bullet to her destination point, back to the penthouse. She circled around a couple of times, many thoughts in her mind. One overrode all others.

 _'What a day.'  
_

* * *

Needless to say, Eilling experienced an insane amount of frustration at the fact he lost track of his charge. The person Eilling worked for didn't tolerate failure. What stuck to him even worse than anything else was the loss of several pieces of high tech weapons. Describing the trouble the government went through to get their hands on the extreme high tech weapons caused Eilling to grit his teeth in frustration.

 _'Swear, heads are going to roll, but it might not be mine,'_ Eilling said. The military officer took a long moment to recover with his thoughts and realized his head could be rolling next if he wasn't too careful.

A long breath, the man started to dial up his boss. The boss answered on the third ring, almost like they expected Eilling to phone this one in.

"Well, did you capture the meta-human?"

"We ran into a snag," Eilling said.

"Supergirl?" the boss asked.

"Not exactly," Eilling said after a long moment. The man took a breath into his body. "It wasn't her, it wasn't Supergirl….someone else."

"Another Kryptonian then?" the contact asked. A long pause followed and Eilling responded with a grunt of confirmation. "I wondered if another one had been around, I've heard rumors, not sure how true they were, but I've heard rumors."

Eilling didn't dare say rumors had a nasty habit of becoming true.

"What are we going to do now?" Eilling asked.

"As of right now, do nothing," the contact said. "Lie low for a little bit, at least until we figure out what to do next. If there's another Kryptonian survivor, it could be the harbinger for something else."

"We should take those aliens out with extreme prejudice," Eilling said. The man slapped a hand into his palm in response.

"Calm down, we'll take care of them in time, we just need more information."

* * *

Kara finished explaining the situation to both Donna and Barbara. Both of them sat with rapt attention and a huge amount of interest.

"So, another Kryptonian," Barbara said. "Equal parts interesting….and also terrifying to be honest….because you haven't had the best record with Kryptonian survivors other than your cousin."

 _'And even then, your interactions with Claire have been rather mixed, after the way she's been acting,'_ Barbara thought.

"She looks like she could be your older sister, doesn't she?" Donna asked. "Oooh, maybe she's your clone, or maybe you were her clone….sometimes these things are hard to tell….."

Donna confused herself with her own explanation. Barbara smiled and shook her head at the younger Amazon Princess's wild theory.

"Clones, you've been reading comic books again, haven't you?" Barbara asked.

"What gave you your first clue?" Donna asked. The young woman racked her brain. "It could be a coincidence the two of you are alike….it'd be a weird coincide you're around in the same place, at the same time, but hey, isn't anything possible?"

Kara conceded pretty much anything was possible. Power Girl had the best intentions in mind, at least Kara hoped so. Something about her made Kara think long and hard.

"Maybe your mother and Zod had a secret love child or something, and she's your long lost half-sister from that union," Barbara said. Kara spat out the coffee she drank. Barbara ducked with her usual expert reflexes and the coffee ended up splattered all over Donna's face, who pulled one in response. Kara's glare intensified and Barbara half expected some kind of heat vision after effect to come out. "Hey, anything's possible….you shouldn't really discount….you know, anything's possible."

"Please don't joke," Kara said. The thought of her mother and Zod caused a moment of stomach turning to spread through her body.

"Plus, Zod made men kneel before him, not women go beneath him," Donna said.

Kara cracked a smile at Donna making light of the situation. The Girl of Steel felt a bit better, even fi more questions raised in her mind, than any kind of answers.

"If you want me to look into Power Girl, to help ease your mind, I will," Barbara said. The woman titled her head back. "Although there isn't much to go on, without any kind of secret identity. Do you even know who she is?"

"I think if we look into the people who moved into Metropolis recently, within the last six months to a year, it would be a start," Kara said. The Girl of Steel brushed hair from her eyes, looking a fair bit thoughtful. "Someone like her…the facility she took me to, she would have to have resources, or at least know someone who has them."

"Right," Barbara said. "Granted, if she's getting a backer from elsewhere, it's going to be a bit trickier to pin down her secret identity. Not impossible, but, I can do it, without too many problems."

Barbara enjoyed a challenge more than anyone else. Finding out what this Power Girl was all about looked to be one of the bigger changes. Even if the research just put Kara's mind at ease, it happened to be better than anything, at least in her mind.

Kara hoped she wasn't being paranoid for no good reason. Past experiences damned her and caused her not to trust a lot at face value, and one of these things she didn't trust happened to be a mysterious Kryptonian who came out of nowhere.

' _A lot of my planet's survivors haven't been the best of people,'_ Kara thought.

* * *

Karen Starr made her way into a room which Atlee had been moved to. The young girl stirred, now dressed in a long over shirt.

"Power Girl?" Atlee asked, stirring for a moment.

"My name is Karen Starr, I work for Starrwave, I'm a….friend of Power Girl's," Karen said.

"Right, of course you are," Atlee said.

Karen didn't know if Atlee was being sarcastic or just sleepy. The heroine didn't want to find out. Regardless, she leaned down to take a closer look at Atlee, trying to see how well she was feeling.

"So, how are you feeling?" Karen asked.

"Better, I guess," Atlee said. "My feet don't hurt as much, and my muscles….they were so tight….and those bad people aren't after me anymore….they aren't, are they?"

"They haven't given us any trouble," Karen said. She placed a tray of food in front of her young charge. "I don't know if you're hungry or not but….."

Atlee popped in so much excitement it made her young, but mature, breasts jiggle. Karen smiled in amusement.

"Starving," Atlee said. She started to eat the food meant to be used with a fork with her hands. The young girl left a sloppy mess. Karen cleared her throat, and pointed towards the fork. Atlee responded with a sheepish little look and a shifty little grin. "Um, thank you."

"If you need anything, I'll be down the hall," Karen said.

Karen left the hallway and made her way into a study area. The woman paused and realized the door had been halfway open. The woman opened the doorway.

"I wish you call before coming over," Karen said.

"I need to keep you on your toes," the figure in the shadows said. The woman with the haunting emerald-eyes leaned out of the shadows towards Karen. "And your security is almost foolproof, but by closing up a few holes, you only opened up a couple more."

"No one's perfect," Karen said.

"Perfection is a fool's goal," the emerald-eyed woman said. The woman, dressed in her standard League of Assassins attire, stepped in. "So, you met Supergirl today, didn't you?"

"Yes, and I hate lying to myself," Karen said.

Only in her life did this particular sentence make even sense.

"We need to prepare for what is to come," the emerald-eyed woman said. "I haven't been able to verify it one way or another, but I know one thing for certain, there's no way we can go back home."

"Are you certain?" Karen asked.

"Yes, I'm certain, we're stuck in this time," the emerald-eyed woman said. "Not the worst place to be, but we're going to have to let it ride out. We're not going to see the future if it comes to pass."

"Please tell me you've made some headway in restoring Claire's powers," Karen said. The woman almost resorted to pleading.

The cloaked assassin shifted. Karen knew her for long enough to know when she had been agitated.

"Slow headway, but some headway. The sooner, the better, because I hope Kara doesn't have to deal with her angst much longer."

"I've dealt with her angst plenty," Karen said.

"And poor Chloe dealt with it the most of all, but it's beside the point. If we had the golden Kryptonite, I could do it easier. If Lex left notes this would be a lot easier, but a lot of his notes were in his head, and a lot of his secrets died with him. Thus it brings me back to square one."

"You can figure out something, can't you?" Karen asked.

"Of course, I can figure out something," the woman said. She sounded almost indignant in the shadows. "I am a genius after all."

Karen smiled despite herself, so very modest, but the young woman learned to live with the ego of her companion. The enchanting assassin next to her frowned.

"I'll train Claire and keep training her. But I'm more concerned with the League."

"Aren't you trying to bring them together?" Karen asked.

"Easier said than done, I'm afraid, even I have my limitations."

"Oh, damn, I wish I had a tape recorder, you actually admitted you had limitations," Karen said in mock shock. The woman threw her arms back and grinned. At least until the moment where her companion stared her down. "Okay, I'm shutting up right now."

"Good, it's for the best," the enchanting emerald-eyed assassin said. "But, the League shouldn't be discounted…..and history does have a nasty habit of repeating itself."

"Especially with Claire," Karen said.

"Yes, especially with her," the emerald-eyed assassin said.

"What's your plan, Alia?"

"Take control of the League of Assassins, and preventing the bad future from ever happening," Alia said. "Or at least limit it."

Alia took a couple of necessary steps, but time will tell whether or not she created an alternate timeline from the one they left.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on January 22** **nd** **, 2016.**


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter Forty-Five: The Wild Card Part One:**

* * *

 ****A huge gust of wind picked up, as a storm started to roll over the streets of Metropolis. The wind started to grow even more frantic, causing pieces of litter on the ground to start to blow back and forth in every single direction. A scattered newspaper lifted off of the ground and smacked against the windshield of a car with a smack. Another gust of wind launched the discarded newspaper up into the air and into parts unknown.

One of the biggest and most dangerous windstorms in an extremely long time had been kicking up in Metropolis. Everyone was on edge.

A woman dressed in a trenchcoat passed the people. The woman's hat almost flew off of her head. The nervous looking woman placed hands on the top of her head, to begin to make strides down the alleyway. A heartbeat increased with intensity.

A figure riding on the top of a playing card. The figure dressed in an all-white bodysuit, with the insignia of the Ace playing card. He lifted up a card in his hand and sparks flickered through it. The woman's gaze snapped towards the figure, and with a quick movement, the woman withdrew a gun from her coat.

"I told you to leave me alone," she said. A bang echoed when the gun shot across the chest of her adversary. The bullet ricocheted off of the chest plate of her adversary. "I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Another pair of bullets caught the figure in the chest, but Ace grabbed the woman by the wrist. The woman struggled against the grasp of the goon, but the goon persisted with holding onto the woman's wrist.

"When you enter the Royal Flush Gang, you're in the Royal Flush Gang for life," Ace said.

Another figure, with a "10" on the chest, turned up. The girl just doubled her efforts to struggle against the powerful force which tightened the grip even more.

"No, this life is over, you can't do this…you just can't do this to me!" she yelled.

"You're going to be assimilated," Ten said and the arm shifted into an arm cannon. You are obsolete, and you will be destroyed.

A brand new fire entered the body of the girl. These tin toys thought she was obsolete? Boy were they barking up the wrong tree.

"I'm obsolete?"

The figure flipped back against a dumpster and tried to climb to the roof. The woman scrambled up the ladder, dodging the laser blasts at her heels. The woman almost stumbled and landed on her face, falling down on the ground. With some kind of grace, she stood up once again.

"Going somewhere?" one of the goon asked. Another one, this time with a King's crown on his head, turned up. The man clutched his hand around a walking stick and waved it, sending a blast of fire at the woman.

The woman dodged the fire before it scorched her. An intense blast came precious seconds away from burning her to death. The woman almost staggered over the side of the building. The roof started to crumble underneath her.

"It's time for you to die," King said. "Just another step back, and you'll be….."

The King's burning cane flew out of his hand. The woman dressed in the trench-coat looked up, mouth agap at the sight of what she noticed a figure dressed in Green. Two arrows fired out and knocked the King off of the side of the building.

The green hooded figure turned towards the woman in the coat and the hat.

"Are you okay?" the Green Arrow asked.

"For a minute," she said. A burning gaze shot up to the sky and the girl turned rigid. "But, I won't be for long."

The Queen and Jack of the Royal Flush Gang dropped down to face the group. The Queen started to levitate pieces of jagged metal off of the ground. Jack caused ice to rise from his hand. The particles swirled around his hand with a smile.

"Why don't you freeze?" Jack asked.

A blur came out from behind Jack and nailed him hard from behind. Jack crumpled down to the ground, folding up like a used accordion.

"It's too crowded around here, retreat," Queen said. Queen dropped off the building, joining the rest of the Royal Flush Gang.

Minus Jack, who had his head knocked off, and the Green Arrow leaned down to check out this situation. The emerald archer looked at some wires protruding from the back of his neck. The archer turned towards Supergirl for a long moment, with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Please tell me you knew he was a robot before you knocked his head off," The Green Arrow said.

Kara's lips curled into a momentary smile before nodding.

"Yes, I knew, I'm not you," Supergirl said. The Girl of Steel hovered over the young girl, but she collapsed down onto her knees. "Are you….."

Kara hovered down and touched the back of the girl's neck. The girl shivered underneath Kara's touch, with Kara lifting her up. The hat slid off to reveal a very familiar face.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Red Arrow said. She joined the two of them on the roof. "They got away…but who are they….I know who she is, but who are they?"

"They're the Royal Flush Gang," Supergirl said. She helped the girl up.

Melanie Walker, formally Ten of the Royal Flush Gang, almost slumped forward. She suffered an injury when this Royal Flush Gang attacked her, but how and more importantly why.

A closer look at the detached robotic head caused Kara to think they might have the answers they want. The group would just have to start digging a little bit deeper.

* * *

After dark at the Daily Planet wasn't too early for Lois Lane to get to work. The brunette reporter brushed a long strand of hair away from her face, and frowned deeply. A long look at the latest police reporters caused Lois to almost jump with a start.

"Is there anything wrong?" Cat asked. The woman leaned over Lois's chair. "Oh, and here's your coffee….figured you'd need it."

Lois took the coffee from Cat, appreciating the gesture.

"Thanks," Lois said. The woman took a long drink of the coffee to get her thoughts out of the way. "And there's plenty wrong, the Royal Flush Gang are back in town….but this doesn't make any sense."

Cat had been taken aback by Lois's statement.

"Why doesn't it make any sense?" Cat asked.

Lois smiled, not she happily lorded information over Cat. But it did feel good to be in the know of something.

"Last year, the Royal Flush Gang terrorized Metropolis," Lois said. The woman remembered the events of their crime spree too well. "They tried to acquire Gold Kryptonite to stop Supergirl in their tracks. Unfortunately for them, Jack was poisoned, the King had been shot by the Arrow, and Ace….well he was the Joker. The Queen is still out there, although living up the high life with the family fortune."

"What about Ten?" Cat asked.

"She had been released from juvenile detention and dropped off the grid," Lois said. "Melanie Walker….poor kid, she's pretty bright, but got dragged into the family way of life the hard way, and got addicted to the rush of being a criminal."

Lois almost felt sorry for the young girl, in some ways, she could sympathize. Maybe not with the crime thing, but the rush of something she excelled at and running away with it. Many people told Lois the reporting career was dangerous, but she lived her life surrounded by danger. The type of stories Lois hunted down and the people she pissed off, oh boy did she ever piss off some important and dangerous people. It was a wonder she ever lived to see the ripe old age of twenty six, with her lack of self-preservation skills.

"So, someone picked up their old habits, didn't they?" Cat asked. The woman reached her hand up and frowned, brushing a strand of hair away from her eyes. The younger reporter stifled a yawn.

"Well, I wouldn't say their old habits," Lois said. The reporter flipped through the file, trying to find a common connection. The Royal Flush Gang didn't pick up on the habits of their older counterparts and seemed to be part of the gang in name only, pretty much. "The Royal Flush Gang robbed from the rich and famous, snobs with a lot of zeroes in their back account."

Cat's nose wrinkled as she looked pretty deep in thought. The woman drew in a breath, before responding.

"So, they're pretty much robbing from their own type, aren't they?" Cat asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Lois said. She frowned when studying the reports to pick up the glaring inconsistencies. "But not this time….not this time…they're stealing from technology companies around Metropolis. Three nights, three robberies, and the police are baffled….this can't be right."

"What?" Cat asked. The perky reporter sounded eager. The way Lois sounded, it seemed like a hot scoop and Cat would be damned if she missed out on the fun.

Lois had the younger reporter on the edge of her seat and craving for more. In some ways, Cat reminded Lois of a younger version of herself. Only a bit too perky, but other than that, thirsty to learn.

"One of the Royal Flush turned his arm into an energy cannon and blasted open a bank vault," Lois said.

"No….do you think they could be one of those meteor monsters from Smallville?" Cat asked. The reporter looked nervous. She heard plenty of horror stories about the meteor monsters. "Didn't Superwoman fight them before?"

"A long time ago," Lois said, in a distracted tone.

If it was a meteor power, it was one of the more advanced she ever saw. No one had been able to turn their arms into weapons. Maybe the guard had been on too little sleep. Lois thought it might be the logical explanation, at least as she racked her brain for one.

"Well, Superwoman's not around anymore, but maybe Supergirl could take down this new and improved Royal Flush Gang," Cat said. The woman tried not to fangirl, but the bubbling eagerness spreading through her voice betrayed her in an instant. "She did take down the old gang, didn't they?"

"With a little help from some friends," Lois said. She became distracted a news of a Nightwing sighting.

Lois spent the last couple of months eagerly following Nightwing sightings. They happened outside of Metropolis, sometimes in Bludhaven, sometimes in Star City, sometimes in Central City, really anywhere but Metropolis. Claire kept her distance away from Lois, after their tension ridden parting of the ways.

"Nightwing?" Cat asked.

Lois's gaze snapped towards Cat, and nodded.

' _Talk about wearing your emotions on your face, Lane,'_ Lois thought. _'Have to be more careful.'_

"Yes, Nightwing….she left Metropolis a few months ago, but she's back, but why?" Lois asked.

"Maybe she's after the new Royal Flush Gang?" Cat asked.

"Maybe," Lois said. The woman sounded a bit strange. "Can you excuse me; I need to make a phone call?"

Cat waved Lois off, frowning when her mentor left. Lois always acted a bit weird when Nightwing had been brought up. A crazy hunch entered Cat's mind. The reporter tried not to veer too far off of insane land, but, perhaps she put something together.

 _'Could it be?'_

The thought could be absurd, but perhaps it wasn't when they think about it. _  
_

* * *

Barbara Gordon made her way back to the Penthouse and almost ran into Kara. The redhead stopped for a moment.

"So what's up?" Barbara asked.

Taking a step into the penthouse, Barbara noticed Artemis and Thea sitting around the sitting area as well. Both of them looked to be deep in contemplation. Well Thea did, Artemis was deep into contact with someone.

"See if there's a connection between the three places broken into, Felicity," Artemis said. A long pause followed. "Four, now, really?"

Barbara's interest had been grabbed even harder than ever before. Seconds passed before Kara decided to fill her girlfriend in on all she needed to know.

"We ran into the Royal Flush Gang tonight," Kara said.

"The Royal Flush Gang, again?" Barbara asked. She frowned deeply, before realizing something. The Royal Flush Gang being back made all kinds of sense. "Well, it makes sense, the old house of cards crumble, a new house of cards is put up in its place."

Kara pondered the situation, and thought she would have to agree with it.

"Doesn't really have the ring of cut off one head, two others grow in its place, does it?" Kara asked. Barbara responded with a smile. "If we can figure out what the new and improved Royal Flush Gang is up to, maybe we can….."

The bedroom door opened up. Barbara raised an eyebrow, seeing one figure pass into the room. A young girl dressed in a tank top and blue jeans, with stringy blonde hair exited the door. She looked rather attractive, even with the annoyed look on her face.

"Is she who I think she is?" Barbara asked.

"If you mean I'm Ten of the Royal Flush Gang….formally of the Royal Flush Gang, than yes, I am," she said with a frown.

The former thief looked at the girls in the room. Things were starting to get rather tense between both sides.

"Her real name is Melanie Walker," Kara said. "And she was attacked by the new and improved Royal Flush Gang tonight."

Melanie's face contorted into a nasty scowl, the type where it wouldn't be good if her face froze like that. The eighteen year old woman folded her arms.

"They might be new, but there's nothing improved about those pretenders," Melanie said. "They're an insult to the legacy of the Royal Flush Gang."

"Not much of a legacy, after your father was killed, and your mother skipped the country," Kara said.

"Yes, my father was killed by The Emerald Archer over there," Melanie said. She sounded rather neutral about the entire subject to be perfectly honest. Artemis looked a bit apologetic about the matter, but Melanie put her hand up. "Don't apologize about it, my father got himself in the situation, and I don't think he deserves any pity at all. He got himself killed, plain and simple. You just happened to be there when the trigger was pulled."

"Why did the new Royal Flush Gang attack you?" Kara asked.

Melanie cupped a hand underneath her chin. This was a pretty good question to be honest, and one she wished to have the answer to as well.

"I don't have the slightest idea why they attacked me," Melanie said. She frowned even more deeply as she thought about it. "Ever since the Gang was duped by the Joker, I've never once put the costume back on. In fact, they ambushed me when I was minding my own business, coming home from my job."

Thea commented with a snort, which caused Melanie's gaze to wash over the girl's face. The Queen heiress shook her head to return back to reality.

"Sorry, it's just you don't seem like the type who would have a job," Thea said.

Melanie's eyes looked at the Queen heiress. She didn't really back down. Artemis stepped in front of both of them, in case things got a little bit ugly.

"I have to, because my mother vanished with the family fortune, and she didn't exactly leave a home address," Melanie said. She grimaced at the thought of being out and pretty much on the streets as a poor woman. It really bothered her to an extent. "But, ever since Supergirl defeated me about a year ago, I haven't had anything to do with the Royal Flush Gang."

"Until tonight," Barbara said, bringing their conversation back around. "Until tonight, you didn't have anything to do with the Royal Flush Gang."

"Well none of the former members are with the Gang," Melanie said. "My father is dead, my mother is gone, Jack got poisoned and is dead, and Ace….well he turned out to be the Joker….I can't believe no one figured that one out until it was too late."

Kara thought the feeling would be mutual, she couldn't believe it either. Regardless the Girl of Steel tried not to take her focus off of the Royal Flush Gang member.

"Well the new Royal Flush Gang isn't exactly human," Kara said. She picked up the decapitated head of one of the robots the entire team picked up. "It's….."

The robotic head started to grow spider legs and it removed itself from Kara's grasp. The head stuck out its tongue, before departing as far in the other direction as possible, leaving the girls all in shock.

"Okay, weird, very weird," Barbara said.

"No, it's good, I put a tracer on it," Kara said. Barbara smiled, and Kara moved forward to steal a quick kiss from her girlfriend. The two exchanged a knowing smile which followed the kiss. "Yes, you taught me well."'

"The Royal Flush Gang has been breaking into several high tech technology facilities," Artemis said. Barbara frowned in response. "Maybe we should take a look at it….especially if they keep their pattern. If the Royal Flush Gang does, they should be breaking into STAR Labs."

"Isn't STAR Labs about due for some new security?" Melanie asked. The four girls turned towards her. "I mean, no offense, but people are breaking into that place pretty much every other week."

"Likely," Kara said. She agreed with the former Royal Flush Gang member. The Girl of Steel prepared to hit the streets and the Green Arrow joined her.

Thea decided she would be the one who would keep an eye on Melanie. Barbara kept an eye on the two heroines on the mission support.

"No wonder you beat up my family, you're a well-oiled machine," Melanie said. "Granted, after my real brother was killed and replaced by some college graduate, we never quite had the same dynamic. And our butler grew old and had been replaced by a moonlighting Joker….I don't know, it was just bad. And now this Royal Flush Gang….are they all robots, or something?"

"Well, Supergirl and Green Arrow are going to find it out sooner or later," Barbara said. "Do you think you'd ever give the heroine thing a shot?"

"You mean the good girl thing?" Melanie asked.

She thought about it and shrugged. Everything happened to be worth a shot, but she wasn't sure.

* * *

"So, do you have any idea why our robotic head just stopped in the middle of the city?" Artemis asked.

"I don't have a clue," Kara shrugged.

Supergirl and the Green Arrow both kept their eye on the tracking device, and also on the news of the latest robbery. Much to their astonishment and awe, STAR Labs wasn't the next place the robber broke into. Talk about taking the script and flipping it over o its head. The two girls figured something was up, especially when their detached spider head stopped.

A duo shell-shocked scientists staggered out, looking like he had been terrified half to death. His knees started to knock together the more he approached the two girls. Mouth wide, when he became familiar with the business end of The Green Arrow's bow.

"Please don't hurt me I…."

"Relax, we're not here to hurt you," Supergirl said. She gave a side long look to Artemis, which prompted the archer to lower the bow, at least a bit reluctantly. "We're just going to ask some questions….the Royal Flush Gang was here, weren't they?"

"Yes…..and you were about ten minutes too late," the scientist said. "They stole an experimental generator. If it works properly, it's enough to power a small city for ten years, or it could be the power source of a weapon of great magnitude….if you're insane enough to operate one."

Kara could think of people who would be insane enough to operate a weapon of great magnitude. The thoughts entering her head weren't among the most pleasant, not at all.

"And….we were studying the meteor mutants….the ones who were in Smallville," the scientist said. "We had their DNA samples on record…..and we were hoping to find a cure."

"And let me guess, they stole the DNA samples," Kara said.

The scientist's eyes glazed over and he sighed. He had to nod. They had been very careless leaving the DNA samples in a vault which had Swiss cheese like security.

"And our friend is on the move," Supergirl said. The two of them had a look around the lab.

"Why do I think the robot head is going to lead us into a trap?" Green Arrow asked. Supergirl gave her one of those prominent side long looks which caused the archer to sigh. "Right, dumb question is very dumb, of course there's going to be a trap."

Better to walk into a trap, and potentially turn it around on their opponent, then to go around aimlessly.

* * *

The members of the Royal Flush Gang had been laid out on the table. Jack needed a brand new head, and the scientist behind them paced back and forth. A few more repairs, and they would be as good as new. With the meteor mutant samples they stole, the scientist could make the more formidable than ever before.

"You ran into Supergirl, I swear, if it isn't one thing, it's another. If it isn't Superwoman, it's Supergirl, if it isn't Supergirl, it's the Arrow, if it isn't the Arrow, it's the Canary, if it isn't Canary, it's the Huntress, if it isn't Huntress, it's Wonder Woman….it's someone ruining my plans and I'm sick of it!"

The man let out this particular declaration in a full bodied shout. He stopped and calmed himself down with some deep and intense breathing.

"Never mind, never mind, just keep it calm, Anthony, don't let it get to you, you can do it," the man said, with a murmuring underneath his breath. "They're going to all bow before me, Metropolis is going to bow before the scientific genius of Doctor Anthony Ivo, with my new and improved Royal Flush Gang!"

The robotic head of Jack scrambled into the room. The robot started to blink his eyes.

"Thank you, you've lead them back here," Ivo said. His tone sounded a slight bit neutral. "So, it means I should have guests, right about now."

The window above his head broke open, and Supergirl dropped down, along with the Green Arrow. Ivo's bored expression flickered towards the two heroines.

"I should send you the bill for the window," Ivo said, only giving the most casual of looking up.

"We're here to shut you down, Ivo, both you and your robotic gang," Supergirl said.

"Yes, I know, and I'm prepared," Ivo said. He threw a switch and a forcefield appeared around Supergirl and the Green Arrow. "I liberated this force field generator from an Intergang stronghold which had been left abandoned after Intergang crumbled. They couldn't use it, but I could!"

Ivo sang the last few words, sounding even more obnoxious than ever before.

"And now it's time for me to get my revenge on the heroines who stopped me and the city who embraced them," Ivo said. "Metropolis will be in the palm of my hand, long enough for me to crush it."

Arrow tried to shoot through the force field, but the arrow burned as it touched the force field.

"Yes, because an alien force field would have been penetrated by mere arrows," Ivo said. "We aren't as smart…but at least you're a step up from Oliver Queen. You never knew where he shot his arrow."

Kara stopped short of punching the barrier. She figured if this was an Intergang weapon, they designed it to hurt her. Which meant, Kara would have to use intelligence to break through this particular barrier.

The force field also cut off her communication from the outside, jamming her communicator, which caused some problems for her.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on January 26** **th** **, 2016.**


	46. Chapter 46

**Vote for Last Week's Chapter of the Week On My Profile:**

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Six: The Wild Card Part Two.  
** Thea hated to be given babysitting duty, no matter how important the charge happened to be. Melanie Walker carried herself with a little bit of an attitude. In some ways, Thea could really relate, she had been a rich heiress at one point during to her life and had all of the frustrations which went along with being one. Still, Thea grew beyond those days and she hoped to end up as a much better person after her wild younger years.

Regardless, Thea sympathized on a certain level with Melanie, especially with the fact she paid for the sins of her parents in spades. The brunette heiress rocked her shoulders back, with a momentary frown flickering over her features.

 _'We've all been down the sins of the parents road, haven't you, Queen?'_ Thea asked. The young woman tugged on the back of her hair and frowned deeply. _'Yes, many times. Hate it, but what are you going to do? When you're rich, you can afford to pay a pretty hefty price.'_

Thea smiled and leaned her shoulders back for a long moment, but worrying clouded the feelings of the heiress. Kara and Artemis remained out on patrol. Thea knew the two of them to be capable, but to be honest, a feeling of dread spread through her body. Thea stood out in the hallway, on the headset, waiting to call back.

"No, Thea, for the record, I couldn't get in touch with them either," Felicity said. "I'm going to try and find a way around it….."

"Something is blocking their signal, and badly," Barbara said. "I'm already on trying to find a way to get around the signal, but it's going to take some time."

"Just kick back and relax, I have this handled," Felicity said.

"Just someone figure out and handle something," Thea said. With the tension tonight, Thea didn't relish having the bickering IT team going over her head set.

"For the record, I haven't been able to find anything," Chloe said. She decided to be the peacemaker, even though there looked to be very little peace to be made for this evening. "I'll keep looking, but you might be on your own tonight."

Thea made her way into sitting room area with a frown. She noticed Melanie, who had been parked on the couch as of twenty minutes ago, disappeared. Thea threw her hands up into the air in disgust and moved forward.

 _'Great, I can't go anywhere for five seconds, and I lose my charge,'_ Thea said. She stopped short and took a deep breath. _'Surely, I wasn't this bad when I was this age.'_

Thea walked forward to notice a hastily folded piece of paper, which didn't improve her mood any to be honest. The brunette archer mentally counted to ten, before picking up a piece of paper.

"On the bright side, she left a note before she left," Thea said. The paper crinkled underneath her grasp. "On the not so bright side, she's going to…..yeah, we have a problem."

"Let me guess, your wild card has left the building," Barbara said. "The good news is, there's a tracer on her which should be active….but the bad news is….."

"Don't need to tell me the bad news," Thea said. "She says it's her responsibility to put the new Royal Flush Gang down and end this once and for all."

"She must have some hideout with gear, or something," Barbara said. "Teenager or not….well technically a bit older, but still….."

"Common sense fails us at the worst possible time," Thea said. She made her way into the closet. Now she knew what to do, she would need to suit up. "Any idea where Kara and Artemis are, or are we just playing the guessing game, now?"

"Well, stop and think about it," Felicity said. A long pause followed. "If the tracker is still on Melanie, she might have a good idea where the new and improved Royal Flush Gang is. Therefore, follow her, and you might be able to get lucky."

Thea started to suit up, with a frown crossing her face. Time wasn't really on her side to be honest, but she had to prepare for what she wanted to do. Time ran out pretty much for her. The archer made her way out, adjusting the tracking module on her palm computer.

 _'Moving, and pretty fast,'_ Thea thought.

"Keep me posted if you find a way to break through any interference," Thea said. Mentally, she crossed her fingers and hoped for the closest thing to a miracle possible.

 _'Long shot, but now, a long shot's the only shot I have at succeeding.'_

Thea armed herself and prepared to head out into the city. How far could Melanie get anyway?

* * *

"I'm sure you're wondering what my plan is," Ivo said.

Kara figured this was coming. Artemis barely kept a groan from coming out. The Girl of Steel's hand flew over at a super-fast speed and caught Artemis in the shoulder.

"Keep him talking, it should give us a way to get out of here," Kara said.

"So, what's your game this time, Ivo?" Artemis asked. "You know when I get out of here; you're getting an arrow in your face…in your face, if you're lucky."

Ivo answered with a dry chuckle. He sat down and looked at the captive heroes where he got to work.

"You know, your bravado is interesting, you would think it would be far less so in the position you're in," Ivo said. He paused to double check the power supply on the forcefield. Ivo's face curled into a smile. "Don't worry, it will hold, and should I grow bored of this arrangement, one press of a button is all it's going to take to close the walls in on you….I wouldn't even try."

Kara wasn't going to try. If the forcefield repelled an attack with three times the strength back at the individual in question, Kara understood the game as It were, and how it wasn't in her best interest to punch the barrier. The barrier could and would rebound the power back at her.

"So, what's your deal anyway, Ivo?" Artemis asked. "What's your plan?"

"I find this funny, this generator is powerful enough to give power to an entire city," Ivo said. The scientist ran his hand. "But, with a little reverse engineering it could bring an entire city to its knees and make it completely and utterly powerless in a snap of a finger."

Ivo snapped his fingers to illustrate his point, a grin crossing his face.

"Unless they give into my demands, I'm going to bring all of Metropolis to their knees," Ivo said. "They will all see how powerful I can truly be."

Kara frowned in response and started to fiddle with the setting on her headset. She needed to do so discreetly. Kara studied the make of the force field around her. One wrong move and the entire thing would collapse on her, likely killing herself and Artemis.

"Chloe, can you hear me?" Kara said in a low voice.

"Kara," Chloe said. "You're breaking up, I can't really hear you."

"Let me adjust a couple more settings," Kara said and she kept getting to work on the settings, pressing a finger into the ear piece. "Can you hear me now?"

Artemis understood what Kara was doing and made sure to keep Ivo's focus on her. Ivo could not pay attention to Kara by any means.

"But where does the entire Royal Flush gang fit into this?" Artemis asked.

Ivo adjusted another setting on the device and didn't answer her question, at least at first.

"I've found the Royal Flush Gang to be a fantastic group, even if some of their members were lacking," Ivo said. "Still, I'm in a rather good mood….how would you like a demonstration on what is going to happen to Metropolis and the entire East Coast if they don't cave into my demands?"

"How thrilling," Artemis said in a droll voice. The woman tried to keep her calmness, but looked towards Kara.

Ivo made his way over and activated the monitor, given him a look over all of Metropolis. A few buttons pressed a display, which allowed Ivo to look over at the entire city. A shifty grin spread over his face when he looked over the two.

"How about now, Chloe?" Kara asked.

"Better," Chloe said.

"This is a one and million shot to get out of here," Kara said. "But I want you to switch to wireless, and when I give the signal, I need you to overload my headset."

"Overload your headset?" Chloe asked. "Are you sure you want to go there, it's going to cause an explosion which could level an entire building?"

"No, not an entire building," Kara said. "But it should be able to short out the force field Ivo has trapped us behind."

A moment of doubt spread over Chloe's mind, but she only answered with the most prominent sigh she could muster.

"I guess if it makes plenty of sense to you, it makes plenty of sense to me," Chloe said. "So, when are you going to have me do it?"

"Just let me give the word, you'll know it when it happens," Kara said.

"You should know one thing, Melanie has gotten away," Barbara said. Her voice sounded garble. "But don't worry, Thea is going after….she could be heading to your location."

Kara now had one more thing to worry about, but she couldn't really focus on the problem now.

"Behold, Metropolis fades to black."

* * *

Everything in Metropolis faded to black. Melanie Walker, Ten of the Royal Flush Gang, fiddled with a lock, in an attempt to get one of the safe houses open. Thankfully, the safe house was untouched and it allowed her to slip inside to get her gear.

Dressed in some gear, Melanie made her way into the darkened Metropolis. The cover of darkness allowed the former criminal to walk around. Everyone started to mutter about with each other, with all of them wondering what happened.

"Do I have your attention now?"

A voice came over the airwaves in Metropolis as the power kicked back on. Pretty much everyone started to murmur to each other in surprise. The entire crowd moved around, many of them still in a panicked mood. The chaos of the Joker still remained fresh in the mind of the average Metropolis citizen, so to be honest, such an event in this city horrified them.

"If I have your attention, I'm glad. If I don't have your attention, don't worry, I will soon…but for those who don't know who I am, I'm insulted. But since I'm a proud individual, I will introduce myself. I am Professor Anthony Ivo."

The form of Ivo flickered onto one of the big screens. In the crowd, Lois Lane watched. She had seen some pretty vain criminals during her time, more times than she could count. This Ivo character pretty much took the cake and ate it, leaving none it around for anyone else.

"For far too many times, people have spurned my genius. It stops tonight. You say you want to stamp out dangerous vigilantes with your task force. But talk is cheap, when you support dangerous vigilantes such as Supergirl and the Green Arrow, among others. They have foiled my genius, and broke my inventions both out of jealousy and out of spite."

The crowd started to grumble and everyone wondered what in the hell Ivo drove at. Seconds passed when the mad scientist continued in his maniac rant.

"I will forgive the citizens of Metropolis, but only once they pay their proper penance," Ivo said. The wicked face of the mad scientist grew into a sadistic grin, which grew more insane the more he spoke. "Ten billion dollars I want from the people of this city. I don't care how it's raised, I don't care what you all have to do to gather the money together, I just want it done and I want it done, as soon as possible."

More buzzing followed from the people in Metropolis when Ivo gave his proclamation. Lois continued to watch, a growing look of distaste appearing on her face. She wondered if Ivo had gone insane.

 _'Then again, considering the fact he likes to give grand standing speeches,'_ Lois thought. She mentally trailed off in the back of her head. _'And I'm pretty sure I just answered my own question just by those thoughts….actually I should be certain, I answered my own question.'_

Ivo didn't stop speaking, because quite frankly, why would he even shut up? The man continued to gain a steady amount of momentum as he spoke.

"And for anyone who thinks they have it in them to stop me, they can forget it," Ivo said. The scientist's voice grew a far bit more excited and even more intense than ever before. "I've captured Supergirl and the Green Arrow…..don't believe me. Well, for your information, I have nothing to prove with you."

Needless to say, Ivo's words didn't go over too well with the general population. Especially among those people who still believed in what heroes could do.

"But, as they say, the proof is in the pudding, or a picture is worth a thousand words. Even though I'm sure I can't repeat the thousand words you say right now."

The image started to flicker on the screen. The crowd gasped at the image of Green Arrow and Supergirl both trapped behind a forcefield. Gasps echoed at these two being secured.

"See this?" Ivo asked. "See your heroes? I'm sure you see them, and I'm sure you're going to see how dangerous I can be….and just one push of a button, I can close the wall in, and destroy them forever….it might not be pretty for the home viewers. So put the children and those with heart problems to bed."

Melanie waited and smiled. Ivo gave away his location, she recognized where he was holed up. He took everything from the Royal Flush Gang, including one of their old hideouts. The girl felt it necessary to pay the bastard back in kind for what he did. After his androids attacked her tonight, Melanie ached for some payback, of all kinds.

Thea Queen managed to lock onto the open channel Ivo used. With any luck, she would be able to grab onto the bastard and end this tonight.

"Oh, and if you don't deliver me the money, you can kiss the power you enjoy and you live your lives on, goodbye! You will live in nothing other than eternal darkness!"

* * *

Ivo leaned back into a chair. He turned his attention away from the two heroines.

"So, would now be a good time?" Chloe asked. "I'm not sure how long I can keep the connection open."

"Just try for about three more minutes," Kara said. Her eyes averted to the new and improved Royal Flush Gang, as some kind of sequence had been put into them. She realized what happened and the feeling of danger caused a weight to drop into the pit of her stomach. "I need to destroy the force field when Ivo collapses it, for maximum impact."

At the moment, Ivo looked up, in time to see the window being shattered. A woman dressed in armor turned up and held a gun on Ivo. He didn't really blink at the situation to be honest.

"So, the relic from the old and the outdated Royal Flush Gang shows her face," Ivo said. He whipped out a weapon and pointed it at Ten. "Just in time to be annihilated."

"You'd think it, wouldn't you, Ivo?" Ten asked. She rushed in and smacked a weapon out of Ivo's hand, disarming him in a matter of seconds. The resulting impact caused the scientist to fly back onto the ground. Ten pointed a weapon against the side of his head.

"Why don't you go for a few rounds against yourself?" Ivo asked.

A robotic version of Ten rose up from the bed. Her hands started to glow and one of them tried to nail Ten with the energy. She flipped over the head of the enemy, but the enemy turned around.

"You might feel a slight decomposing feeling when she touches you," Ivo said. "But, don't worry, I hear it's only fleeting and…"

Another figure dropped down from the ceiling, dressed in a red hood, wielding a bow and an arrow. Ivo took a step back.

"What's the good of a secret hideout if everyone finds the place?" Ivo asked. He activated the machine. "Royal Flush Gang, attack."

Jack rose to his feet, his eyes glowing. He fired an optic blast at the Red Arrow, who dodged the attack. Red Arrow raced around him, only to find herself take down by being flung at by a barrage of exploding playing cards by Ace.

The King raised his staff and caused fire to flow out of it one more time. Red Arrow tried to fire arrows at his staff to remove it out of his move, but it didn't really take. The Queen raised her hands and caused small scrapes of metal to fly through the air.

Red Arrow tried to fire an arrow at the Queen, a mistake when she stopped the arrow flush with a telekinetic push and then sent the arrow back at Thea. Only her quick reflexes dodged it.

Ten reached into a case and pulled out a black explosive device. She flung it at her double, who caught it.

"You foolish organic, I can absorb energy," Ten said.

"Yes, I know," Ten said.

The young woman waited for the really big boom to follow and the head of the adversary exploded to be honest.

The explosion caught both Jack and Ace, taking them out of the battle in the backlash. Red Arrow smiled, now having a bit more room to breathe, she could focus on taking care of some enemies. She stood on the King's head, and grabbed his staff, before pointing it at the Queen. A burst of fire caused the scraps of metal to skew the King, nailing him full on and disabling him.

Now with the Queen's circuits slightly damaged, Red Arrow flipped over her back. Three arrows nailed her adversary right in the back and this time she fell, taking down the new and improved Royal Flush Gang.

"Well, this wasn't what I expected."

Ivo knew this wasn't going as he planned, but he could have a wonderful consolation prize, namely the grisly demise of Supergirl and the Green Arrow.

"Okay, Chloe, he has that look, now would be a good time."

A vibrating came through Kara's head set. She braced herself for impact, and a miniature explosion resounded, causing the force field to collapse.

Artemis staggered forward, a bit dazed, but fine none the less. Ivo had been blown against the wall, and sparks were flying through his head.

"Don't tell me he was another robot," Kara said, barely holding back a groan on her face.

"Robot, good," Artemis said. She drew back her bow and fired a series of rapid fire arrows, one of them connecting full on to Ivo's chest.

Ivo blew up rather nicely, leaving sparks to fly. Kara smiled, and shook her head.

"And to think, I really didn't do anything," Kara said.

"Well, you helped us get out of the force-field," Artemis argued. Kara turned her attention to the other woman, a smile crossing her face. "So you did do something."

"Well, as much as I had to take credit for it, I'm afraid I can't take complete credit for it," Kara said. She shook her head to clear some thoughts from her overtaxed mind. "Chloe was the genius who helped me overload the headset circuit….speaking of which, going to need a new headset."

* * *

"Thank you for your help," Kara said. Melanie hung back and waited to be lectured, but much to her surprise, the lecture never came. Hope sprang eternal she was going to get out of this situation with a smile on her face. "Your methods were….well they were different, but maybe we can use your help in the future."

"Maybe you could," Melanie said. Her lips shifted into a pointed smile and leaned towards Kara. "But, you know, the hero thing, while I can do it, I'm not cut out for it. Now Ivo, or is android, is done, the Royal Flush Gang has been shut down, and I can go back to….putting the pieces back together."

Kara wondered if it would be too easy for the former criminal. The other girls rested after their adventure, but Kara always found herself to be restless after an adventure. And worked up a lot as well, and the only outlet available to her stood in front of her.

"So, have you turned eighteen yet?" Kara asked.

"Yes, end your jailbait wait, I'm eighteen," Melanie said, a knowing grin passing over her face. "Not it matters to me, I'm the bad guy, and it's not like I'm going to go to the cops and bust you for statutory or anything….which is kind of stupid, because a guy who is eighteen can get busted in some states for sleeping with his seventeen and eleven months girlfriend, but…"

"You've devoted a bit too much time to this, haven't you?" Kara asked.

"Pretty much, but, I've thought about you a lot," Melanie said. "And…..I've thought about what you wanted to do to me if you punished me. I kind of hoped you took me all of those months ago, and now….I want it more."

"So, you want to be punished, do you?" Kara asked. The merest shadow of a really wicked grin spread over Kara's lips.

"Yes," Melanie said in her most breathless voice. "I've been a very bad girl, and I deserve to be spanked, are you going to indulge me, Supergirl?"

Kara leaned in towards her, and smiled.

"It's my duty to punish the wicked," Kara said. "And you've been a rather wicked girl."

Kara's words caused the area between Melanie's legs to grow wet and she tried to press her thighs together. The Girl of Steel took advantage of Melanie's momentary disorientation by stepping in, swooping down, and capturing Melanie's gorgeous lips into a long and powerful kiss. The thief returned the kiss eagerly, pushing her tongue into the depths of Kara's mouth.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on January 29** **th** **, 2016.**


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter Forty-Seven: Night Out.**

* * *

 ****Kara appreciated a good night out as much as anyone else, especially when she managed to enjoy the good night out with her friends. Kara dressed in a nice black dress which fit into her frame nicely. Barbara joined her, dressed in a shimmering green dress, and Donna did, in a nice blue dress as well. The three girls dressed to kill when they entered one of the most exclusive night clubs in Metropolis, recently re-opened after the Joker's rampage of a couple of months ago. Kara hoped to have a good night with her friends, and anticipated what would occur next.

She also dreaded some trouble coming.

"You should find a way and relax," Barbara said. "Don't worry about anything which happened. Just let your hair down and see what happened."

Kara almost protested this statement. Donna touched her lips over Kara's to silence her. The two shared a brief kiss which turned some heads.

"You do need a good night out as much as anyone else," Donna said. She leaned over towards Kara and flashed a wicked grin after her. "After all, you've been running all over the city, putting out fires."

Kara recalled all of the fires she put out. The Anti-Vigilante Task Force backed up off of her a little bit, but they still had to hit her hard to justify everything they stood for. Regardless, Kara didn't want to think about it.

"We will find a drink which will crack your code," Barbara said.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Kara asked. Barbara raised an eyebrow and laughed at her. "And you're supposed to be the responsible one out of us three."

Barbara thought it would be a sad state of affairs when she could be considered the responsible one out of three people.

"Hey, drunken Kryptonian sex could be fun," Donna said. She turned towards Barbara. "Are you sure you're up for it?"

"Hey, I'm on the injured list, I'm not dead," Barbara said. She gave a smile towards Kara. "You never know what will happen after tonight."

"Indeed, we don't know," Kara said. The possibilities could prove to be tantalizing to say the very least. "But it should be fun to find out."

The three girls perched themselves at the bar and enjoyed the music which bombarded their senses. Kara prepared herself for a wild night, even though a part of her expected something to happen. Call it the cynic within her.

The door opened up and Kara almost jumped up. Helena Wayne entered the club, which would be more than enough to grab anyone's identity. The woman she entered the club with caused Kara to pay attention to be honest. Donna and Barbara looked over towards her, and their mouths hung agape.

' _Wow,'_ Kara thought. Judging by the looks on Barbara and Donna's faces, she wasn't the only one who said.

The woman stood close to six feet tall. Diana was pretty tall, but this woman could give Diana a run for her money height wise. Her black hair came down her shoulders, and parted a little bit, framing her face with a slightly seduction nature. The woman's most defining feature looked to be the green eyes which burned with passion and intensity. The woman's curvy frame poured into a green dress which matched her eyes. She leaned over towards Helena, with a smile on her face.

Helena and her mystery date walked over. Kara caught herself looking into the young woman's eyes for a long amount of time. Her mouth hung open, something about her eyes looked rather familiar, but she couldn't piece everything together.

"Hello, Helena," Barbara said. The red haired computer hacker pushed her hair out of her face. "Fancy meeting you here, tonight."

"How are you, Barbara?" Helena asked. She acknowledged the other two girls with the barest of nods. "Kara, Donna, I hope you're well."

"Very well, thanks," Donna said.

"Yes, I'm rather well," Kara said.

Helena, not being the World's Greatest Detective for nothing, managed to understand the question which burned on both of their tongues.

"This is Alexandra Evans," Helena said. "I'm showing her around some of the hot spots of the city."

"Oh, I've heard of you," Barbara said. She started to bubble over, sounding like a fangirl in the process. Kara tried to pinch Barbara to calm her down, but it didn't really stick. "You've really made a name for yourself, with Shining Light Enterprises! You've made one of the most sophisticated computer systems in the room. The security is second to none, not even an expert could hack it."

"Well, I hope you haven't tried….Miss….."

"Gordon, Barbara Gordon," Barbara said, answering the girl's question. "But, seriously, Alexandra, you're really….well, your partnership with Starrwave is going to revolutionize the entire industry."

"Call me, Alia, Miss Gordon," the young woman said. "And I've heard a lot about you….it seems like you've had a couple of doctorates underneath your belt, and you're only twenty three years olds."

"Well, you have had a few as well," Barbara said. "Oh, and this is Donna Troy and Kara Kent."

"Thanks for the timely introduction, Babs," Kara said. She leaned in and grabbed Alia's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Alia….I swear, it seems like I've run into you somewhere."

Something about those eyes triggered a repressed memory in Kara's mind. She couldn't pin where the memory came from though. It vexed her and continued to vex Kara.

"It's a small world," the woman said in a far off voice. She gave Kara a flash of a smile. "But, Helena has told me a lot about all three of you."

Kara smiled, so she did, did she?"

"And she's working on a business deal with myself, Patricia Swann, Thea Queen, and Karen Starr," Helena said. "Among others…..it's to help the problems we've been having in all companies."

Kara's interest had been piqued, and she wasn't the only one. Thea didn't mention anything, but then again, Kara didn't ask her.

' _This should prove to be an eventful evening.'_

* * *

The evening proved to be an interesting and eventful to say the very least. A couple of hours later, Kara found herself in the back of the bar, with Alia. Kara decided to try and feel the young woman out, to see what she was all about.

"You have been looking at me like you don't trust me all night," Alia said.

Kara appreciated the straight forward tone of the woman's voice.

"Well, I've been through a lot of things, but…you just seemed to have popped up out of nowhere, and really made a name for yourself," Kara said.

Alia smiled, Kara pretty much had a fair point to make. She did come out of nowhere and didn't waste any time.

"Well, we all had to come from somewhere," Alia said. "All of her drinks are on me…you should try this….but it's not for the weak at heart."

Kara understood as she gulped down the drink. A smile crossed her face when she took a long drink. The drink caused her to feel a mild buzz.

"You aren't kidding," Kara said. "So, tell me more about Shining Light Enterprises?"

"Well, I think Barbara gave an adequate enough assessment of SLE," Alia said. She took a long moment to nurse her drink, smiling over the glass at Kara. "We're a pretty big deal and I hope we'll be an even bigger deal give enough time….but we're just finding we're feet."

"Well, you've made a lot of powerful allies," Kara said. She responded with a smile and took a long drink from her glass. "Thea Queen, Helena Wayne, Patricia Swann….need I say more?"

"I think you've told me pretty much what you've needed to tell me," Alia said. "And I'm also recruiting some of the most promising young talent out there, before any other company can get their hooks into them. There are too many companies in this city which get their hooks into people, and squander their talent."

"You don't say?" Kara asked.

"I do say," Alia said with a smile. "And I've taken a look at some of your grades at Met-U. You're pretty amazing, and I think you're not utilizing your full potential. You could do better than being a glorified runner at the Daily Planet."

Kara thought she held herself back, out of necessity more than anything. She found some of the classes to be hard, because they had been dumbed down to a lower level. Kara needed to re-learn a lot of what she knew on Krypton.

"I think there's a chance for you to increase your full potential," Alia said. "I want to offer you a spot on my team at SLE."

"You want me?" Kara asked.

"Yes," Alia said, causing emerald green eyes to match Kara's bright blue eyes. "I feel like you can do so much more for the world, yourself, along with Donna and Barbara as well. But I'm interested in you personally."

Kara raised an eyebrow for a long second. Perhaps the last year ever since the loss of Claire's powers, Kara had been through a lot, but something did put her on the edge. Alia smiled.

"Just think about it," Alia said. "Do you dance?"

Kara frowned for a long moment and nodded for a moment. Once she managed to get used to Earth's gravity, Kara thought she was pretty skilled on her feet.

"Are you asking?" Kara asked. Alia smiled and Kara rose to her feet.

The two of them made their way onto the dance floor. A lot of eyes were on Kara, because she found herself right next to Alexandra Evans, who rose through the ranks in the scientific scene over the past couple of months. Alia wrapped her arm around Kara and steered her into a dance.

"I hope you'll think about this opportunity," Alia said. "The two of us can really help the world…..and I'm sure you want to carve your own niche in the world."

"What do you mean?" Kara asked.

"Well, your cousin is a pretty famous reporter, and while you're working as an intern at the Planet, you can be so much more," Alia said. She leaned towards Kara. "Much more."

Kara felt a shiver go down her spine. For a wild second, Kara thought Alia was going to kiss her in response. Before this could happen, Alia's phone went off, stopping this from escalating to its obvious conclusion.

"Excuse me for a moment," Alia said.

Kara watched Alia leave. A second later, Donna appeared at her elbow, along with Barbara. Before the two of them could say anything, Alia returned.

"Sorry, a last minute problem has come up," Alia said. She handed Kara a slip of paper with some information on it. "If you really want to talk to me about SLE, call this number. I'll be able to able to arrange a meeting with you. I'm really looking forward to working with you."

Alia turned around and the second she came out of earshot, Barbara leaned towards Kara.

"So, is it just me, or was she trying to court you?" Barbara asked.

"It wasn't just you," Donna said.

Helena joined the three of them. Kara turned on her heel and stared down the daughter of Batman.

"She really can be persistent, can't she?" Kara asked.

"She's really intent on getting what she wants," Helena said. Kara turned towards the Wayne heiress and frowned. "And if she thinks someone is going to be a good part of her team, she's going to get what she wants."

"Is she trustworthy though?" Kara asked. The Girl of Steel rose up to her full height. "Did you check into her background?"

Helena responded with a long look which would have made Batman blush. Kara didn't back off though. She just had a hunch regarding Alexandra Evans, some kind of vibe, and Kara wouldn't rest until she overturned pretty much every stone.

' _Maybe I'm being paranoid.'_

* * *

Lois Lane almost tripped over her own feet when she rushed out the door to the Daily Planet. A hot lead smacked her in the face and Lois needed to follow it up pronto. Her source might have been among the pretty sleazy types, but the man proved to be reliable during several occasions in the past. Therefore, Lois intended to head up and see if his information bore any fruit.

Nightwing showed up somewhere in Metropolis, backing up the operation of a group of low-level mobsters who got their hands on some Intergang technology. The bastards caused a lot of trouble, at least until Nightwing showed up. Lois hoped for an excuse to run into her, and running into Nighwing.

 _'I really hope I find her, because I have some words for her.'_

Lois stopped for a moment to fish a pair of keys out of her pocket. In her haste, Lois almost dropped the keys which frustrated her. She also reminded herself of the other big of news, where Morgan Edge would be let out of prison at the end of the summer. The media mogul looked to pick up where he left off, and Lois felt a sickening feeling going through the pit of her stomach.

 _'The bastard is going to cause some problems….and he almost bought out the Daily Planet at one time…and Perry's hanging on the ropes.'_

Perry finally decided to step into the 21st century, with some encouragement from Chloe, with the Daily Planet blog, and maybe they would start a television network. A long time overdue and it was a big step.

Lois shook her head; she tried not to worry too much about the business of the Daily Planet. Even though if the business didn't go as planned, it would kind of put her out of a job, so Lois did have to worry about the business of the Daily Planet at least somewhat, in her mind. Regardless, the slick reporter made her way to her car, opening the side entrance.

Given the lateness, the only person around happened to be a rather sleepy looking security guard, who only acknowledged Lois with the barest of nods. The reporter carried her own protection, because of past experiences.

 _'Can't expect some shining night savior to jump out of the sky all of the time to pull some daring rescue. And bless the police in this town, but they aren't exactly the most skilled a lot of the time. And those who are, they're outgunned big time. Even if Turpin and Sawyer are trying to hold the fort down the best they can.'_

Lois shook her head, clearing her mind casually. She started up the car and pulled it out of the Daily Planet parking garage. Her mind focused on getting the story, no matter how much it took. Lois Lane always got her story, no matter how much it took. And if it was a dead end, at least this was a dead end where Lois personally traveled down. She hoped Claire stuck around. Why would she be back in town after leaving town?

Granted, Lois traveled down this rabbit hole in the past and Claire's appearances were nothing but unfortunate sounding rumors. She needed to make a good enough effort to do the best she can to follow up on everything though.

Had she not been distracted by her signal minded pursuit of Claire, Lois might have noticed Cat Grant, crunched underneath a blanket in the back seat of her car. She took Lois's encouragement to follow up on a story, and she decided to tag along for the ride.

Lock wasn't too difficult to pick, and Lois forgot to turn on her security system. Cat circumvented the system more than easily enough and parked herself in the back of Lois's vehicle, no pun really intended, of course.

* * *

Kara returned back to the Penthouse after the night on the town. Donna and Barbara followed close behind, but Kara managed to push herself ahead for a long moment. The Girl of Steel walked into the penthouse, the door swinging open.

The blonde Kryptonian decided to park herself down on the bed. Countless thoughts flowed through her mind, many of them haunting her mind for some time to come. Kara folded her arms underneath her chest, tilted her head back, and responded with a sigh.

 _'What a night!'_

Kara ran into someone in the club who seemed interesting alright. The Kryptonian survivor racked her brain and recognized those eyes now. She ran into someone with the very same eyes on Themyscira, who was either a member of the League of Assassins or posing as a member of the League of Assassins. While the woman looked to help them out, Kara mistrusted her intentions now, just like she mistrusted Alexandra's.

The galling thing to Kara would be, nothing about the body language between the two parties looked to be the same, yet Kara found herself certain they were both the same. Talk about a wild paradox which caused Kara to mentally rack her mind in an attempt to figure out the connection.

Kara managed to switch the headset on.

"Chloe, are you up?" Kara asked.

"Past midnight….yes…always," Chloe said. "And I just found out something you should know."

Kara grimaced when Chloe said those words. Nothing ever good came from the phrase of someone telling you they thought you should know something. Regardless of what came out of this statement, Kara fixed her face into a rather patient smile and brushed the strands of blonde hair away from her face.

"What is it, Chloe?" Kara asked.

"It's Claire, at least I think it is," Chloe said. The deafening silence, other than Kara's breathing, caused Chloe to frown in an apologetic manner. "Yes, I know, I know, I know."

"Good, you know, but….it's the last thing I want to hear tonight," Kara said.

Kara had a lot of problems regarding a multitude of situations tonight, well not really problems, not in the general sense of the world. The concerns grew and Kara really wanted to make sure everything was on the level. The opportunity to work for SLE looked to be almost too good to be true.

"Maybe you don't want to need it, but you need to hear it….so anyway, Claire has been taking down some low level mobsters. Well, they're not so low level anymore."

"They found another Intergang toy chest we overlooked, didn't they?" Kara asked. Her teeth gritted down in frustration.

"Yes, but they're in police custody and the weapons have been confiscated," Chloe said. "I know we'd both feel better if the weapons were destroyed and not confiscated, but hey, baby steps."

Kara supposed this was progress, minor and miniscule progress.

"Yes, I'd feel a lot better if the weapons were destroyed," Kara said. "But, I have something I need you to look into….Helena's new friend."

"Oh?" Chloe asked.

"Alexandra Evans…..you might have heard of her," Kara said.

"Heard of her, yes, I've heard of her!" Chloe said, almost squealing out in excitement. The very nature of the statement took Kara almost aback. "No, seriously, I have heard of her, and she's been all over the news."

"Well….there's more to her than meets the eye," Kara said. "I don't know….just something….I can't put my finger on what."

"You mean she's donated millions of dollars to rebuild the Metropolis children's hospital after the Joker totaled it," Chloe said. "And you mean the dozens of other charitable donations she made….along with bringing countless new jobs into Metropolis."

Kara sighed. Her suspicions kind of made Kara looked like a jerk. Then again, Lex Luthor was also a considered a savior to the people of Metropolis. Just because Alexandra Evans had better legs than Lex, it didn't mean she was above suspicion from Kara.

"Yes, she's done some good, a lot of good, more good than I can do," Kara said. "And she's offered me one of those jobs."

"Well, lock her up and throw away the key," Chloe said. "You know, you would be a good fit for a budding company like Shining Light Enterprises. And maybe you could do more for the world than putting on a cape and beating up bad guys."

"Maybe," Kara said. "But, do you think you could do a background check on her?"

"Sure, if it will put your mind at ease," Chloe said. "So, what does Helena think of all of this?"

"Helena seems to think she's trustworthy," Kara said.

"What, and you don't?" Chloe asked. "Have I entered Bizzaro World?"

* * *

Lois Lane approached an abandoned warehouse by the water front, a combination which always caused shivers to blow down the ace reporter's spine. She knew she walked into a dangerous location, but Lois walked forward with her head held up high and pretty much no fear.

 _'Well, I didn't sign up to be a reporter for safety reasons.'_

No sooner did the statement leave Lois's lips, a stack of paint cans fell over. Lois turned around, and pointed the stun gun she carried up her sleeve at her.

"Come out, or you're going to be getting quite the shock," Lois said. The brunette reporter peered into the shadows, waiting for the person on the other end to answer. A sheepish looking Cat Grant walked out of the shadows. "Cat, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm supposed to be your partner," Cat said. The younger reporter stood, far more bold than she ever thought herself capable of. "And you keep leaving me out of the loop."

Lois smiled a bit at the boldness of the younger reporter, but it didn't ease the anger completely Lois felt of Cat tagging along when she really shouldn't have.

"Cat, it's dangerous."

"You never really had much of a problem when Claire Kent tagged along with you on dangerous excitements!"

Lois couldn't really answer the circumstances as to why she had no problem.

"Cat, you're a rookie, you don't make enough money to justify putting your life on the line."

Footsteps caused Cat's retort to be lost forever. The two reporters turned at the same time at the source of the footsteps.

"Hello, Lois, luv, long time, no see."

The rough Australian accent belonged to a man dressed in a trench coat, with inhumane looking eyes. His eyes didn't really blink when he approached them. A part of his face looked ripped, with metal shining out.

"Corben," Lois said.

"Yes, I'm so touched to see you've remembered me, when I'd rotted away thanks to your girlfriend," John Corben, better known as Metallo, said. He reached forward and grabbed Lois by the wrist. Several local toughs walked in to subdue Cat as well. "You could never resist a hook for a story…..and now you're the perfect bait for my perfect trap."

"Superwoman's dead, so you're just wasting your time….."

Corben silenced Lois's words by roughly forcing his hand on her mouth.

"Superwoman, Clara-El, Claire Kent….Nightwing, they're all the same."

Lois's eyes widened for a long moment, wondering how Corben learned it. She still feigned ignorance.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Cat was caught off guard by the revelation Claire Kent and Superwoman were both one and the same. The woman started to murmur the words over and over again.

"You're delusional!" Lois yelled.

"It's been a long time."

Cat managed to break away from the toughs and pick up a crowbar. She swung the crowbar and brought it down on the top of his head. Cat swung the crowbar and waffled him several times. The crowbar contorted and Cat's eyes widened.

"Run!" Lois yelled. Just because Corben held a death grip on her, didn't mean Cat needed to stick around too long.

Cat tried to run, but a gas canister flew out of mid-air and broke out. The young reporter staggered and fell back onto the ground, dazed and unconscious. Lois fell down at Corben's feet as well.

Corben contorted his head and watched a man in the Silver Monkey mask walking forward.

"You're a worthy investment, Mr. Corben, " Silver Monkey said, watching the goons tie up the two reporters. "And now, we wait."

Corben noticed assassins crowding around in the background, waiting to pounce. The mercenary smiled, cracking his knuckles. He had a bit of a score to settle with Superwoman, powers or not.

It was quite the pity Luthor didn't make it, because Corben held Luthor as responsible for his plight.

 _'Just means double the revenge for Superwoman.'_

* * *

 **To Be Continued on February 2** **nd** **, 2016.**


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter of the week poll link is in my profile for Week Four. Feel free and vote if you haven't done so already. And now with the shameless shilling out of the way, on with your feature presentation.

 **Chapter Forty-Eight: Nightwing Returns.**

* * *

A figure rushed as quickly as he could, running across the rooftops of Metropolis. The man jumped from one rooftop to the other rooftop, trying to get away from his pursuer. He stopped by STAR Labs to steal an important piece of technology for a very special benefactor. The dark clad figure slipped into the shadows, hanging back for a fraction of a second.

The figure wore a costume where the material reflected the surroundings around him. The figure craned his neck back a fraction of an inch and looked around. A couple of seconds passed before he could be allowed to breath.

On the roof, Supergirl landed several feet away from where the dark clad figure stood. He held the breath in his body and hoped she couldn't hear him. His heart started to race with a few heart beats. Unfortunately, an attempt to mask his true location ended in Supergirl reaching into the shadows and grabbing his adversary.

The adversary flipped over the top of his enemy and landed on the ground. The mysterious gentleman sprung into the air and reached into the side pocket. An energy dagger glowed with an illuminating light. The dark clad figure rushed towards Supergirl, but Supergirl avoided the attack.

The dark clad figure rushed Supergirl with the arm extended and the dagger bared. The figure went straight for Supergirl's throat, but the Kryptonian survivor avoided the attack. She used her quick speed and agility to avoid the attack. The figure started to stab and jab at her in mid-air. Kara jumped back to avoid the stabbing motions this villain made.

"Okay, time to take your little toy away from you!" Kara yelled.

With one swift flip, Kara kicked the enemy in the hand and caused the energy dagger to fly into the air. The dagger landed point down against the roof and burned a hole through. Kara allowed herself a momentary sigh of relief.

"You haven't had the slightest idea who you're dealing with."

The figure flung a chain out and wrapped it around Supergirl's arm. Supergirl pulled it forward and caused the dark clad figure to fly towards her. She tried to nail him with a clothesline, but the dark clad figure avoided the attack. The man hit her with a series of fast hands and faster feet to drill her enemy from behind. The figure pounded the back of her head, causing the wind to be knocked out of her.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with," the figure said. He flung Supergirl down onto the ground, causing her to land down hard.

Another figure swooped down from the shadow and dropped down on the back of the adversary's head. The figure stepped back and stepped out to fight the adversary.

Kara's eyes widened, watching the figure clad in black to face off against Nightwing. The rumors of Claire being back in town looked to be true because Kara saw it with her own eyes.

The dark clad figure looked rather pleased to see Nightwing standing before him. The man perched himself in front of his adversary and withdrew another blade, this one longer and this one, more glowing than the other one.

"I've been wanting to take a crate at the Dragon's apprentice for a while," the dark clad figure said. "You aren't as skilled as you think I…."

Nightwing smacked the figure in the face to shut him up. The dark clad figure went in for the kill by extending the blade out towards her, but Nightwing dodged the attack. Nightwing swept the foot out from underneath her adversary. Said adversary bounced to a standing position and Nightwing disarmed the blade from him in the most painful way possible.

The man's arm dislocated from his shoulder. The dark-clad figure groaned and Nightwing popped him in the face, knocking him out.

Nightwing bent down and picked up a canister. Supergirl moved over towards her.

"Hello, Claire," Kara said. "I could have handled him."

The two cousins shared one of those nervous stares which accompanied a tense reunion.

"I know, but it's something I needed to do," Claire said. She peered at the metal canister and frowned at it, brushing her fingers over the edge of it. The woman's frown grew even more prominent the more she looked the can over.

"So, what are you doing back in town?" Kara asked.

"This is a plot from the League of Assassins to bring one of the most dangerous men back from the death," Claire said. She made sure the canister had been secured. "Ra's Al Ghul."

The name of Ra's Al Ghul caused Kara to feel a chill over her body. She never once fought the leader of the League of Assassins, but Kara heard enough about the League leader to know pretty much how dangerous he could be and why him coming back for the dead.

"What's the deal with the canister?" Kara asked.

"They have biological warfare in mind," Claire said. "In the small quantities, it can put a person underneath for surgery. In a larger quantity, it can be pretty dangerous."

Kara wondered what to say next to her cousin. Now the shock of running into her cleared her, Kara had so much to say.

"Whatever it is….."

Claire's words faded off into nothingness when a second dark clad figure appeared in the darkness. The apprentice of the dragon turned to her.

"If you kill me, you won't learn my message," the dark-clad figure said. Claire raised her eyebrow and motioned for the dark-clad figure to go forward. The dark-clad figure extended an object and stabbed it.

A cell phone, Lois's cell phone, and Kara's eyes widened at the look of the phone in the hand of the dark-clad figure.

"You have an hour," the dark-clad figure said, and without another word, the man slipped into the shadows.

Kara turned her attention to Claire, trying to tell her they ran into a trap, but there was only one problem. Claire vanished into the shadows. She turned around and moved off to see what she could find.  
X-X-X  
Lois tried to struggle against the bindings, but the bindings kept her against the chair. The reporter found herself tied up against the chair and not in the good way either.

"Sorry, I didn't know….I didn't know this would happen," Cat said. The young reporter's head hung down, and a frustrated grimace appeared on her face. "I didn't know this would happen, this is all my fault."

"Don't worry about it, kid," Lois said. She strained against the ropes, but they caused her to be pushed back against the chair. "I'm perfectly capable of getting into my own trouble; so there's no need to be upset about this."

Nine times out of ten, Lois found herself perfectly capable of getting out of trouble as soon as she got into it. The ten percent of the time where she couldn't stay out of trouble, well things really got bad.

"Why do you do it?" Cat asked. Lois raised her eyebrow, a long moment of confusion spreading over her face. Cat decided to clarify the answer. "Why do you put yourself in the danger you do? It isn't for the glory, isn't it? Or is it because you always know you'll be rescued?"

Lois wondered exactly how to answer the question. Her head hung down and the frown on her face deepened a shade or two.

"Sorry, I didn't really….I didn't really mean to pry."

"You didn't," Lois said. She tried to offer some reassurance in her tone, even though none came for herself. "But….it's really complicated….hard to explain really."

"Try me," Cat said.

Lois's lips curled into a knowing smile. She decided to figure out how she needed to answer a simple question.

"I guess it was because of my father….the General who wanted sons, but only had daughters. I've been a bit of an adrenaline junkie….I don't really think I have any self-preservation skills. I should have been dead several times over."

"And you would have, if it wasn't for Superwoman," Cat said. Lois raised an eyebrow, with her ceasing her attempts to find a weak spot on the rope. "Sorry."

"Blunt and you tell the truth," Lois said. "I like it kid, you'll go far….if you don't die first."

Cat experienced a shiver of fear go through her. Lois sounded a bit jaded, but she spoke the truth. The reporting career sounded a lot more glamorous when she studied to be one. Now, Cat felt the crippling fear which frightened her.

"How long did you know?" Cat asked.

"When I wanted to be a reporter?" Lois asked. "Bit of a personal question to ask me, especially given the situation we're in."

"No, not…not that," Cat said. She tried to calm herself down and ask her question in a more concise manner. "Although…this is more personal…when did you learn Claire and Superwoman are one and the same."

A long pause followed with Lois looking at Cat. She tried to take this one in good humor and chuckle at Cat's words.

"Do you really want to believe the ramblings of a madman, Cat?"

Lois sounded crisp and short, and Cat held her head down. She realized the only proof she had, as of right now, was Corben's word. Corben sounded completely and utterly insane, and mad for revenge.

"Well, I suppose not," Cat said sheepishly. She hung her head, but wouldn't quite let it go. "But you have to admit, the two of them look almost alike. The only difference is Claire wears glasses."

Lois mustered up the dirtiest look possible, mostly because she hit a bit too close to home with the entire glasses thing. The reporter would have liked to think she only entered a state of denial and wasn't foolish enough to not recognize someone without a pair of glasses.

The reporter would like to think as much, she would be wrong, but she would like to think as much.

Speaking of people who were delusional, Corben showed up with them. He stepped towards them, crouching down with a wicked grin crossing his face.

"Revenge is sweet, wouldn't you agree, Lois?" Corben asked.

Lois rolled her eyes at Corben, pretty much ignoring his words. She turned her attention towards Cat, allowing a small smile to cross over her face.

"Congratulations, Cat, you're going to hear your first ever supervillain monologue."

"Revenge will be sweet," Corben said. He ignored the words from the reporter. She tried to get a rise out of him, but Corben refused to allow it. "I was a man, a full man, until Superwoman crushed me and Luthor used me. It's a shame Luthor is gone, but I'm not going to shed some tears with the bald bastard being dead. He deserved to be crushed."

The figure in the shadows stepped out of the shadows. The Silver Monkey made his way over to Corben, extending his head down to face him.

"The message has been sent," the Silver Monkey said.

"Excellent," Corben said. "All we have to do is….."

A figure crashed down from the ceiling through the glass, causing shattered glass to follow everywhere. The ninjas stepped in, preparing to attack.

Supergirl faced off against them. They recovered from the fact she wasn't Nightwing in a few seconds. One of the ninjas charged forward, a mystical blade extended towards her.

The Girl of Steel utilized her quick abilities. The ninjas came at her from all sides, but she used the fact to her advantage. Kara's super breath launched the ninjas back.

Corben watched the battle, with the Girl of Steel making quick and rather elegant work against the ninja minions. The man's lips twisted into a oh so casual smirk when he stared her down.

"Supergirl, well, I didn't expect for you to pop up this soon," Corben said. "But perhaps it should have been inevitable."

Corben removed his coat and the second he did so, Lois screamed. A large chunk of gold Kryptonite flashed in front of Kara, dropping her to one knee.

The ninjas surrounded Kara, blades drawn. The Girl of Steel experienced a heavy weight weighing her down as the goons surrounded her. They drew closer, preparing to kill.

* * *

Nightwing crept around the shadows, and the woman stood rigid. Corben had his new and improved golden Kryptonite heart, which would be a problem. It wasn't as refined as the piece Luthor used, but still it could cause some damage.

Claire needed to move quickly before time ran out.

"I hope you're with me."

Receiving no answer, at least not one which satisfied her, Claire dropped down from the ceiling. She grabbed two of the nearest ninjas and yanked them into the shadows. The figure pushed the goon into the wall, causing him to slam against the wood panels with a sickening crack.

Corben stood as high on his feet and prepared to finish off Supergirl. A silver device flew through the air and stuck in Corben's open chest plate. Several red lines of energy wrapped around his body and an energy shield manifested around the Kryptonite, blocking it from feeding the rest of his body.

"It's your choice," Nightwing said. "Either save yourself before the backup power runs out or gain revenge. Pick your poison."

Corben picked his poison by lunging at Nightwing, but she blocked his latest attack. She dragged him off the ground and slammed the criminal into a stack of crates. The backup power started to sputter, before Metallo fizzled completely out.

The Silver Monkey made a split second decision of what he needed to do. To go while the going was good, the Monkey crept over towards the nearest exit.

Green fire shot up from the floor and blocked him. One flash of light manifested and the Dragon popped the goon right in the side of the face. The Silver Monkey crashed down onto the ground, the wind knocked completely out of him.

"Your betrayal will be known to her, because you went above your station."

Kara's eyes flickered, and she couldn't believe it. The same thing happened to her which happened to Claire. The exposure to the Golden Kryptonite made her feel like she had the flu.

She looked up, seeing a burning pair of green eyes from the shadow. Kara opened her mouth to protest something, but she never had a chance to do so. A dart connected the side of her neck. The next instant Kara blacked completely out.

"Leave," the emerald-eyed assassin said to Nightwing.

Nightwing responded with a nod and escaped into the shadows. The figure walked over and took out a shield canister. She yanked the golden Kryptonite out of Metallo's chest and put inside the canister without another word.

She snapped her fingers and the ropes came off of a shell-shocked Cat, and a rather disturbed, but mostly composed, Lois Lane.

The moment Lois regained her bearings, another figure dropped down from the ceilings. The reporter calmed herself down as much as possible, in time to be greeted by the Huntress.

"She's been exposed to the Gold Kryptonite," Lois said.

"The police have been called," Huntress said. "All of the ninjas have been taken care of, you should be safe."

Lois nodded as Miss Sunshine and Happiness gave them a full detailed explanation of what they had to deal with. Huntress scooped up Kara's limp form in her arms and grapnel her through the nearest exit.

"Come on, Cat, you need to….you just need to calm down after tonight," Lois said. Her usual hard and tough as nails voice sounded a fair bit softer than normal.

Cat swallowed, but didn't trust herself to say anything. She regretted stowing away in the back of Lois's car.

* * *

Kara's eyes fluttered open. Helena crouched over her.

"How are you feeling?" Helena asked.

Kara grumbled at this question, even though she adjusted her attitude really quick.

"How do you think I'm feeling?" Kara asked. "I lost my powers. I can't believe I just lost them….like this."

Kara snapped her fingers to demonstrate. A shuddering feeling spread through her body, the thought of all she lost hitting her hard and very fast.

"You didn't lose your powers, but you came close," Helena said.

"What do you mean I didn't lose my powers?" Kara asked.

"See for yourself," Helena said. She dropped a folder practically on Kara's lap. "You were out for two days and there were some times where….well it looked pretty bleak."

Kara figured about as much. She took the folder of information Helena pretty much dropped in her lap and looked it over. It detailed the tests which had been run. Kara opened her mouth, which allowed Helena to swoop in with a cotton swab and take a sample of salvia from Kara. Kara closed her eyes and allowed Helena to get to work.

Helena walked over and put the salvia sample to the test. The machine in front of them lit up.

"The dart she injected me with, it stopped the power draining process before it could really be completed," Kara said. She continued to look over the information on the paper to ensure she read every single word of it right. "Which means, if there's a way to reverse the partial power drain, then there might be a way to reverse the powers being taken away completely."

Kara labored underneath the impression for months and months, there had been no takebacks with Gold Kryptonite.

"The one thing working in your favor was the exposure from Corben wasn't as constant and the Kryptonite in his chest wasn't as refined as the piece Luthor used on your cousin," Helena said. "But, never the less, she managed to figure out a way to stop the infection from spreading. Before it stripped you of the ability to channel your powers."

Kara thought Helena knew who the person in question was and after a few long seconds of thinking, Kara had a pretty good idea of who she was as well.

"You're not going to be strong for a few days, but if the results of these tests hold up, then your powers will be returning in a number of days."

Kara would have to hold Helena to those words and hope for the best. Her heart started to race against her chest.

"You haven't been the only one who has been working on this problem for some time," Helena said. "I have to admit, I had my misgivings regarding Claire, but the person she went to….she was the best hope for trying to reverse her problem."

Kara just frowned, and again, Helena managed to say what she thought, without really saying what she thought. Regardless, Kara again had a shrewd idea who Claire talked about.

"Your powers are slowly returning to you, and within a day or two of yellow sunlight exposure, you'll be back to normal," Helena said. "You might be a bit more vulnerable to injury until your powers completely return, so I'd advise plenty of rest and relaxation."

Kara smiled, she hoped she could have the luxury of relaxing, but something told her, easier said than done. Just call it a hunch which haunted her.

"Cat and Lois are fine," Helena said. "And Corben has been taken into police custody…the Monkey Clan….well they won't be a problem anymore."

Helena didn't have the hardcore aversion to killing people as her father did, sometimes it was necessary. Leaving deadly assassins who would slaughter or rape millions alive didn't qualify as necessary to leave alive. But, she didn't have to worry about the blood on her hands, in either the figurative or the literal sense of the world.

"And you died."

"What?" Kara asked.

"For a few minutes, your heart stopped, I only just got it restarted by bombarding you with yellow solar radiation," Helena said. "More than enough to give your average normal human skin cancer."

Kara whistled, talk about an excessive amount of yellow solar radiation. She rose to her feet, feeling a bit better, now she knew a cure was out there.

"Your shields have been increased, you're now immune to green, red, black, and gold Kryptonite, unless someone finds a way to inject the crystals into your blood stream."

"Well, let's try and avoid anyone who tries," Kara said.

"Stay for dinner," Helena said.

Kara thought she was hungry enough to eat a house. A more intense hunger than being hungry enough to eat a horse, but she was distracted. Kara shook her head to clear it.

* * *

Lois Lane paced around her living room. She received a few days off to recover from the ordeal she suffered. The only ordeal Lois Lane suffered happened to be boredom and loads of it.

A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts and made the reporter scramble to the door. Never in her entire life had Lois been so ecstatic to see company on the other side of her door. The door swung open and revealed Kara on the other end, which prompted a wide smile from Lois.

"Kara, thank God, I'm glad…"

Kara stopped Lois with a hand held up and a smile crossing her face. She waited for the brunette to step back to allow the young woman to enter the apartment properly.

"Don't thank God, thank Helena Wayne."

Lois laughed; Helena would be more capable of any god.

"Figured, I'd swing by and check out to see how you're doing," Kara said.

"Well, Cat was pretty shaken up, more so than I am," Lois said. "But, I think she finally recovered…as for me, I'm just bored as hell and frustrated….frustrated Claire was there, and I never had a chance to talk to her."

"I talked to her briefly," Kara said. Lois raised an eyebrow. "But it was all business. Nothing out of the ordinary to be honest….and I never had a chance to say the things I wanted to say."

Lois's dry chuckle pretty much told the story. Anyone, never mind a prize-winning reporter, understood from Kara's tone, she had a mouthful.

"So, sorry for losing your powers," Lois said.

"No, I didn't lose them," Kara said. "The….Dragon stopped the power loss."

"You mean the mysterious woman dressed in black who injected you with something?" Lois asked. Kara nodded in response. "Who is she really?"

Kara's suspicions increased, she had a good idea who the Dragon was, but she didn't really want to know.

"So, I've been thinking about something Claire said," Lois said. Kara looked at her. "Nothing bad, but maybe the two of us need some time apart to try some new things. And it looks like Claire's moved on to a new Mistress."

Even though Lois kept the bitterness out of her voice, one could tell she felt the slightest amount of heart attack. Kara took Lois's hand in hers.

"Lois, look….."

Lois's eager lips attacked Kara's lips with a blistering kiss. Months of frustration spilled out, and Lois tried to jam her tongue down Kara's throat.

Not to be outdone, Kara put her hands around Lois's backside and squeezed it firmly. Lois closed her eyes and took a long breath, with Kara backing her through the open door into the bedroom.

The moment Kara entered the bedroom, she noticed handcuffs on the dresser and a red lamp above the bed.

"Handcuffs?" Kara asked. "Seriously, Lois?"

Lois didn't look guilty at all, in fact, she turned on the smug charm the reporter had been known for, for quite some time.

"Have to keep Claire in line somehow, but….."

Kara scooped up Lois and threw her onto the bed. She screamed.

"Naughty girl ,always putting yourself in danger….maybe you should get punished for it."

Lois looked up at her ex-girlfriend's cousin, lust burning in her eyes.

"Maybe I should."

The buttons on Lois's blouse worked themselves open revealing a lacy black bra and Kara leaned down, pinning her down on the pin. Kara crouched on top of Lois and kissed her intensely. The able lips of the Girl of Steel caused Lois's brain to shut down in bliss.

A snap of metal over her wrist brought Lois back to reality. Kara had her and she really had no one to blame other than herself.

* * *

 ****Outside of the window of the apartment, Claire Kent, better known as Nightwing, perched outside. She observed the entire event with an intense expression on her face. The moment she discovered Kara and Lois were both okay, she slipped off into the night.

Claire dropped down into the night, without a word. She was happy Lois moved on, and Kara would be able to keep her into line. She wasn't pleased how it ended the way it did, but Claire appreciated the fact Lois moved on all the same.

' _Good, she moved on. Now I can do the same.'_  
 **To Be Continued on February 5** **th** **, 2016.**


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter Forty-Nine: White Canary Part One.**

* * *

 ****Dinah Laurel Lance, under the guise of the Black Canary, returned back home to Gotham. Despite a lot of the problems occurring in Metropolis, Dinah always thought Gotham would be so much worse. Although tonight looked to be a fair bit quiet, perhaps too quiet. Dinah hated to say it out loud, because thinking something was too quiet, would always have problems.

A sense of dread filled Dinah to be honest. The woman placed her hands on her hips and she peered down. People made their way through the streets of Gotham. One gentlemen looked to be in a hurry, looking at his watch.

"I can't believe I'll be late…my wife is going to kill me!"

A shadow of a smile flashed over Dinah's face. Granted a gentlemen being late for a dinner wasn't a crime, but it did break up the darker tone of the Gotham City night. Some people disagreed with it not being a crime, and Dinah could see their points.

Dinah thought she noticed a shadowy figure moving in behind her. The Canary swooped into the shadows and rushed into the darkness. No one stood before her, which caused Dinah's confusing thoughts to grow. Was someone stalking her, or was just being back into Gotham making her paranoid. The woman leaned back for an instant, frowning.

 _'Okay, this is odd, really odd. Why would….'_

The sound of tinkling glass caused Black Canary to almost jump up in the air. The woman leaned herself back and walked forward. A sound of scuffled screams echoed from the distance. The Black Canary made her way forward and almost hit the edge of a railing. Casually, Black Canary dropped down and looked around.

She noticed a broken window off in the distance. Black Canary walked closer and realized was directly in front of the Iceberg Longue.

 _'What, did Cobblepot stiff someone on a deal or something?'_

Black Canary scrambled down to the floor. She saw a set of eyes staring back from behind a table. A hand reached up, holding a screwdriver up. One of Cobblepot's waitresses stood from behind the overturned table.

The smoldering smoke filled the Black Canary's nostrils when she stepped further inside the Iceberg Longue. The waitress raised a hand with the screwdriver.

"Stand back, stand back," the waitress said. Her arm started to shake when she held it up. A nervous expression filled over her face. "He…just came in here, and went to the back….took out the security."

Black Canary looked down to see two security guards having been stabbed and dumped into the icy waters of the Iceberg Longue. The figure made her way to the backroom and opened up the door.

She stepped up towards the beaten and battered form of Oswald Cobblepot, better known as the Penguin. The criminal looked at the Black Canary with a bleary look in his face. A bruise rose on the side of his head. His arms and legs had been tied behind her back.

Reaching over, Black Canary picked Cobblepot's umbrella off of the desk. The knife retracted from it and she cut him free from his bindings.

"Who attacked you, Penguin?" Black Canary asked.

Penguin gurgled and tried to spit his words out. The more he tried to talk, the harder it was for him to get his words out.

"Tablet, vault," Cobblepot said.

Did he mean a tablet as in a computer device or a tablet in some kind of stone tablet?

"Are you back to…finish the job?" Cobblepot asked. "She….swooped in…and attacked me…hell of a set of legs….like you kind of….but she wore white, and not black."

Cobblepot slumped down onto the ground and the lights in the club started to flicker. Black Canary turned her head towards the exit, frowning as deeply as possible. Black Canary walked into the club.

"You!" Black Canary yelled. She positioned herself in a fighting stance, to defend herself from the attack. "Who broke you out?"

Slade Wilson, better known as Deathstroke the Terminator, approached Black Canary. Black Canary braced herself for some kind of defense and rushed towards him.

"The League wanted me to do a job, but….it's obvious someone beat me to the punch," Slade said. The two fighters squared off ready to go a couple of rounds. He dodged her attack and tried to jab her in the throat. Black Canary jumped onto one of the overturned tables and avoided the attack.

Slade rushed Black Canary, and tried to take her out with another violent attack. He activated an explosive he set up.

Another explosive caused Black Canary to roll over. Slade rushed her with a broken table leg, but Black Canary blocked the attack with both of her feet. She kicked off and sent Slade flying back a few steps.

From the skylight, Batgirl dropped from the heavens. Slade turned around.

"You look different," Slade said. He withdrew a blade from his sleeve. "But, I'll kill you just the same."

Dinah wondered what the hell Ella played at jumping in the middle of the battle. Regardless, her entrance caused Slade's attention to be diverted. Dinah knocked Slade over the back of the railing, which caused him to land onto the iceberg!

Black Canary jumped onto the ice and tried to nail him with a Canary Cry. The ice cracked, which forced Slade to jump off.

Cobblepot stumbled out, using his umbrella as a crutch. His mouth hung open. The villain almost fell over against the wall at the intense property damage the two of them performed. The man tried to keep himself as calm as possible, even though he came close to losing his mind.

"DO YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH REPAIRS COST?"

Batgirl fired a crossbow bolt in an attempt to trap Slade, but she cut one rope too many, and caused a light rigging to fall down. It put Slade behind the light rigging.

Slade rushed over and grabbed the Penguin, putting a blade to his throat, causing him to go off with a sudden squawk.

"I'm going to ask you one time, who has the tablet?" Slade asked.

"The White Canary took it, I swear…she beat you."

Slade threw Cobblepot over towards them like a sack of shit.

"Another time," Slade said.

Black Canary tried to scramble over the obstacle which Ella created before her, but she struggled to do so. Slade blew a hole through the club, forcing Black Canary to back up. She grabbed Cobblepot by the scruff of his neck, and grabbed Batgirl by the arm.

"Let's go!" Black Canary yelled.

The two of them ascended, the waitress trapped in the club having escaped some time later. The Iceberg Longue collapsed in some flaming wreckage.

* * *

Kara sat in the sitting room of the Penthouse. She recovered from her ordeal a few nights ago and her powers returned completely. Hope entered her for the briefest second Claire could return to full power, but if Kara was honest, she thought the lack of problems manifested with Claire's powers.

The Girl of Steel allowed her mind to run wild with insanity. Her fingers brushed over her head for a brief second, frowning. The enchanting emerald-eyed assassin kept entering her mind. Kara suspected when she watched her eyes up close and personal. Now, Kara knew in an instant, Alexandra Evans and the emerald-eyed assassin looked to be one and the same. Her frown increased.

Ninety five percent sure anyway, but not one hundred percent sure. The most galling thing was Kara really had no reason to distrust either Alia or the mysterious emerald-eyed assassin other than her sense of paranoia. Hell, Helena vouched for her, and Kara knew better than anyone else how difficult it was to get inside Helena's head.

The phone rang and prompted Kara to spring up to a standing position.

"Hello?" Kara asked.

"It's me," Artemis said. "There's…a bit of a situation which took place in Gotham City."

Kara frowned for the longest second. A situation and Gotham City never resulted in a good thought. With a calm expression on her face, Kara tried to maintain a professional demeanor.

"What kind of situation?" Kara asked.

"Canary and Batgirl turned up at the Iceberg Lounge to investigate a disturbance," Artemis said. "Half of the club had been totaled, and Black Canary came across Cobblepot. He was beaten within a half of an inch of his life."

Kara thought this pretty much qualified as a situation. There had to be something more, and she was sure Artemis would tell her.

"It gets worse here, doesn't it?" Kara asked.

"How did you ever guess?" Artemis asked. The archer took the lack of answer coming from the Girl of Steel as her cue to continue. "It does get worse from here….Black Canary ran into Slade Wilson, you know, Deathstroke?"

"Yes, I'm well aware of who he is….continued," Kara said. "I thought he was trapped on a prison on a deserted island. Who let him out?"

"The League must have come across his prison and let him out," Artemis said. "He mentioned to Canary the League wanted him to get….well some kind of Tablet. Only he had been beaten to the punch."

Kara thought they finally got somewhere and slowly reached the solution, at least in a roundabout way at least. The Girl of Steel chewed down on her tongue with a long frown following her after a half of a second.

"Who beat him to the punch?" Kara asked.

Many different thoughts entered her mind, but Kara squashed them. For two reasons, the first being, she didn't want to give into her paranoid thoughts. And the second reason being would be, she didn't like to speculate. It always lead her down a fairly dangerous road.

"Someone who is called the White Canary."

Now Kara's curiosity reached a different level all together.

"I'll be in Gotham in a few minutes."

Kara made her way down a set of the steps and returned, dressed in her full Supergirl uniform. Kara almost reached the window, when her cell phone went off.

"Chloe, hang on, let me switch to headset," Kara said. With a nice little click, the headset turned on and Kara made her way over to Gotham.

"Well, I overturned every stone regarding Alexandra Evans," Chloe said.

"And?" Kara asked.

"Alia looks to be perfect, almost too good to be true," Chloe said. She frowned for a long second. "But some people are what you see, is what you get."

Kara figured it wouldn't be this easy to dig up information on someone. There were times where she didn't know how Helena did it.

"Maybe she is," Kara said. The Kryptonian survivor kicked things up to another notch. The Girl of Steel propelled herself. "But, there's something breaking in Gotham City….looks like the League is heading to the next phase of their plan."

"Well, always wonderful," Chloe said. "Maybe you can explain it to me on the way."

"I'll try, the best I can," Kara said.

* * *

Helena Bertinelli leaned back, where Dinah tried to patch her up. The two women had a lot of tension between them. Artemis leaned back, an awkward smile on her face between the two of them.

"So, what do you think about the tablet?" Artemis asked.

"I have no idea," Dinah said. She continued to wrap up Elle's arm, making sure the bandages were on them. "You got lucky you didn't get hurt anymore."

"Oh, here we go again," Ella said. "I made a mistake."

Artemis could see the tension in the air. Did she have to step in and referee another scuffle between the two? Ella was stubborn, and Dinah could have her days as well

' _Oh boy, this won't end well,'_ Artemis thought.

"Well, if you didn't make a mistake, then I could have gotten Slade," Dinah said.

Artemis prepared to put herself in between the two of them. Both of them looked seconds away from getting into a fight. She hated to see the two of them rip each other apart.

"Oh, you think it was would have been sure if you would have defeated Slade," Ella said. She stood up and almost got into Dinah's face. Artemis pushed herself between the two of them. "You really think you would have defeated him?"

"I would have had a better chance if you hadn't shot the light rigging down," Dinah said. She tried to calm down, but she looked very annoyed. "If you want to be out on the field, you need to keep your head in the game."

"I'm not your sidekick, you're not my mother, so you can't tell me what to do!" Ella snapped.

Artemis cleared her throat, which caused both of the women in question to turn towards the emerald clad archer. The archer knew she stepped inside some rather dangerous territory, but the two of them needed to focus on the situation at hand.

"The two of you can resolve your unresolved sexual tension later," Artemis said. The archer ignored the rather pointed look directed her way by the combination of Ella and Dinah. Her frown increased when she stared both of them down. "The more serious problem is the White Canary and what her motivations are."

Dinah nodded for a long moment. The most insane theory the woman came up with, she pushed it to the side. Given the line of work she was in, the theory wasn't a lunacy. Still, Dinah did not think she could even hope for it to occur.

"You're right," Dinah said. She could still see the angry look cast to her by a rather frustrated teenager. "So, the White Canary….we really don't know anything about her."

"Yes," Artemis said. "About the only thing we know about the White Canary is she really laid a beatdown on Cobblepot. She could be in the League, although not the faction Deathstroke has been hired for."

"Maybe your sister knows something about this," Dinah said.

"Well, good luck in getting in touch with her, because she's dropped off the grid," Artemis said. An embittered look spread over the face of the emerald-clad archer. "You'd think after all we've done for her, she'd be a little bit more….responsive."

Dinah understood the problems Artemis had with her older sister. Talk about being there before herself.

The curtain blew open and Supergirl dropped down in front of the group.

"So, anything about the White Canary?" Supergirl asked.

The looks of discontent on the face of all of them told the story. Artemis shook her head.

"All we know is she's against whatever faction of the League Slade is aligned with," Artemis said. She sighed. "Not to say she isn't aligned with the League itself, but talk about an entire convoluted mess."

"Chloe wasn't able to dig up much more," Kara said. "There have been a couple of sparse sightings of the White Canary over the last few months, but this is the most prominent of the sightings."

"Any idea if it's even the same person behind the mask?" Dinah asked.

"No, because there wasn't any chance to take any photos so we could compare and contrast," Kara said. Dinah's body language slackened and Kara understood the frustration. She reached forward and grabbed Dinah around the shoulder. "We have a better idea of figuring out what this mysterious tablet Slade was after, was, and then….we might be able to find the White Canary."

"Let me guess, our resident tech girls are on it right now," Artemis said. The archer let out a prominent whistle and sighed. "We don't have a whole lot of information."

Kara nodded, not having a lot of information was a problem they would have to deal with.

* * *

The White Canary entered towards an abandoned part of Gotham. This section of Gotham resembled one of the worst parts of town, which said a whole lot about the makeup of the city. Appearances often could be deceiving, whether you were talking about the best of times, or the worst of times.

The woman clutched a stone object against her breast and made her way past the condemned signs, down a rickety stairway. An altar of a Dragon appeared before her. The White Canary removed a knife from her sleeve and cut her finger. A small tribute of blood dripped onto the dragon statue.

The gateway accepted her as being able to enter. The White Canary took a couple of quick strides inside, walking over towards an archway. In the shadows stood the emerald-eyed assassin, along with Nightwing.

"You've taken it, before Deathstroke could, haven't you?"

The White Canary nodded, sinking to one knee before her mistress. The stone tablet slipped from her hand into the hand of the Dreaded Dragon.

"You've done well," the Dragon said. "But, there's still a lot more to do if we want to bring the rogue factions of the League in check. The Ubu clan bringing Slade into this situation proves to be a pressing danger and one we're going to have to deal with immediately."

The tablet pressed in her hand showed her one path to returning the Demon to his throne. Many other paths existed though, and she knew the splinter factions of the League were an ever varying monster.

"I've had gone one step closer into restoring your full abilities with the experiment regarding the Gold Kryptonite," the Dragon said to Nightwing. Nightwing extended her head down and looked a bit anxious. The jade eyed assassin smiled at the prominence of eagerness in her pupil's face. "There is another couple intangibles we must test. Patience, my fledgling, all good things will come to those who wait."

"If I've learned one skill as part of this League, it is the art of patience."

Nightwing almost feared what would happen if her powers returned. Her skills sharpened over the past number of years, even if it had been months on the outside world. Thanks to the mystical talents of the Dragon, she had been taken to realms where she could learn how to fight. And the Dragon also taught her a fair bit about her powers.

Using them as a blunt force hammer resulted in nothing but trouble.

"You have learned patience. And you have served me as well as any of my fellow League members, and you will have a place by my side always. But I made a deal and I always hold up the end of the bargain."

"And I understand the sacrifice which will have to be made," Nightwing said.

The Dragon nodded, given the method of which they needed to restore Kara's powers, a sacrifice of sorts would have to be made. Helena didn't mention how she brought Kara back, not exactly a topic Alia could bring up at the latest board meeting.

* * *

The White Canary returned to her meeting, going through the bad section of Gotham. She owed her life, in more ways than one to the Dragon. The Dragon found her, an inch or two away from death.

"So, it's a nice night for a walk, isn't it?"

The White Canary stepped back, allowing herself to take a long breath. She came face to face with the Black Canary. The older woman stood, almost face to face with the White Canary. Time slowly ticked by on the clock as they wondered what would happen next.

"You should back off," White Canary said. "I would hate to have to hurt you."

The Black Canary raised her eyebrow, the confidence; the cadence in her voice, the theory became even more sound with every single second. And yet, Dinah didn't want to admit it out loud because it would lead to questions, questions she very much dreaded receiving the answers to.

"You could never beat me."

White Canary smiled beneath the mask and stared down the woman who she called sister in another lifetime.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

White Canary jumped up into the air with a flash kick towards the Black Canary. The Black Canary dodged it in a snap. White Canary returned fire with a rapid fire series of jabs and strikes. Some of them broke through the Black Canary's defenses, while others caused her to back off, almost going over the edge of the roof.

Black Canary propelled herself over the head of her adversary. She swung a kick, but White Canary rolled underneath it. She flipped into the air and slammed both of her feet down onto the Black Canary's chest and knocked her to the ground.

"You're good, but I've improved."

Black Canary took down White Canary by both legs and mounted her down on the ground. She picked up the woman by the head and threw her hard.

White Canary landed against the puddle which had been left by a rainstorm. She splashed into the puddle, which caused her outfit to become transparent.

Not even missing a beat, White Canary picked up the attack, nailing her adversary with a stinging flurry of punches and kicks. She dipped behind her enemy, and started to rip at her adversary.

The two Canaries tussled, with ripped and soaked clothing. Dinah flipped her adversary to the ground and pinned her. She writhed underneath her.

"So, do you enjoy….."

The mask ripped off and Dinah stepped back, like she saw a ghost.

"Sara?"

Sara Lance slipped away and rushed over to the edge of the building. She jumped off, but landed in the waiting arms of Kara.

"Hello, Sara, long time, no see. Weren't you dead?"

"The Dragon brought me back," Sara said. "But I came back wrong for a while and the dragon set me right…she tamed me."

"Where is the Dragon?" Kara asked.

Sara responded with a round of laughter, which caused Kara and Dinah to both be slightly unnerved.

"You don't ask to see the Dragon; the Dragon asks to see you."

From the distance, Slade Wilson watched, and smiled. He located the White Canary, which meant he could locate the contract and get paid. The fact Sara Lance and the White Canary were one and the same made the prospect of revenge all the much more sweeter.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on February 9** **th** **, 2016.**


	50. Chapter 50

Week Five Chapter of the week poll is linked to my profile. Now with the shameless shilling out of the way, on with your feature presentation.

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty: The White Canary Part Two.**

* * *

Kara figured it would be for the best if she decided to fly off in the opposite direction, while keeping a look out of the perimeter in Gotham City. If Dinah or Sara needed her help, she could get back quickly.

"Technically you still could listen in on their conversation," Barbara said. Her lips curled into a smile and the computer hacker almost could sense Kara's dirty gaze lock upon hers. "Yes, I know rude, but super powered hearing, you could hear someone fart on the moon."

This little statement from Barbara got the obvious reason from certain parties.

"Thanks for the image," Chloe said, trying to keep the image out of her mind.

Dinah thought in the line of work she worked in, meeting Sara like this would be inevitable. Dead really seldom meant dead, but still, as the years dragged by, the Black Canary came to terms with what she did. She fought crime, partially in her sister's memory. Those first couple of years had been rough, but Dinah flourished and became a rather respected and sometimes feared, crime fighter.

"This can't be real," Dinah said.

"Why can't it be real, Laurel?" Sara asked. She smiled as Dinah looked like she had been caught completely off guard. "No one's called you that for years, have they?"

"I've embraced my mother's legacy, instead of run from it," Dinah said. She looked her sister straight in the eye without blinking. "All of those years, you let us think you were dead…again…you did it again. I thought we were beyond this."

Sara's smile wasn't really visible in the shadows. Dinah sensed it was there though.

"And here I thought you were beyond lecturing me like you were our mother," Sara said.

Dinah sighed, and sure enough, Sara accused her of the same thing Ella accused her of. The Black Canary took a step back and wondered if she was as bad as Sara and others accused her of. Was it even possible at all?

"I didn't mean to…it was just…it destroyed Dad, yet again."

"You can hardly blame Dad's demons on me," Sara said. She folded her arms. "I'm sorry it happened….it was a couple of years before I was well enough to function."

Dinah looked over her shoulder. It occurred to her this wasn't the best place to have a conversation with her recently resurrected sister. Especially given the League involvement lurking around the city.

"Why don't I take you back home?" Dinah asked.

"This isn't like when we're teenagers and you found me after I snuck out to a club," Sara said. She stared Dinah down, almost challenging her. Her sister always thought of herself as an Alpha female, and the fact grated on Sara a tiny bit. "This isn't like this….I can't come home, not before the job is done….not before the League is put back together."

Dinah opened her mouth. The more her sister talked, the more Dinah found herself completely and utterly lost with what was going on. Sara fixated her gaze at Dinah and escorted her off to one side.

"We better go somewhere where….it's less open," Sara said. Dinah opened her mouth, but the younger sister stopped the older one. "Not anywhere around here….someone is stalking me."

Dinah wondered if some Lazarus Pit after effect drove her sister into some paranoid state or if Sara had some validity to her thoughts. Come to think of it, Dinah sensed something around them. Were they being watched?

"I swear, you're getting slow in your old age."

Dinah frowned at the implied slight at her. A small part of her swEllad with gratitude her sister cut her with a quip, instead of a dagger.

The two of them made their way towards a broken window. This location looked towards to be in one of the bad parts of Gotham City.

"Thanks for giving me some space, Kara," Dinah said. She tried to keep her tone down as low as possible, and Sara looked over her shoulder.

The two sisters made their way into the worn down warehouse. Dinah wondered about her sister's intentions. While she didn't want to expect some kind of ambush, an ambush could occur. Her sister worked with the League.

"The Dragon raised me from the dead," Sara said. "The longer a body cools, the more…adverse effects the Lazarus Pit has…..I came out feral….I had moved on, but she thought I could be of use. Thanks to her own abilities, she restored my soul to my body, to help me begin the healing process. It turned out, my soul lingered in limbo, out of torment, so she did me a favor."

Dinah blinked at Sara's words.

"A favor?" Dinah asked. "But, I thought you….."

"I was in pain when I returned?" Sara asked. Dinah answered with a short nod. "Yes, I was in pain, but the pain faded with the understanding of the Dragon. She's magnificent….some might question her intentions, but she only has the best interests of the world in mind."

Dinah continued to look over her shoulder.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so on the rooftop," Sara said. "But, I never want you dead, just out of my way, and out of my life. The Sara Lance you knew, you grew up with, is long since dead. The White Canary lives in her place, purified of all of the sins Sara had in her life."

"You're still my sister," Dinah said.

Sara didn't answer.

"I need to find them, bring them back….we hoped the Tablet would lure him out in the open, trick him into giving up the location of….them."

"Who?" Dinah asked. Sara turned around and looked into Gotham City. A moment of emotion passed her face. "Who, Sara, who?"

 _'Forgive me.'_

"Nyssa, and her sister," Sara said.

* * *

Deathstroke continued to stalk the two Canaries from afar. The man's lips curled into a malicious smile, a dagger cradled in his hand.

"As much as I love a sisterly reunion, it's time for me to break up the party," Deathstroke said, more to himself than anyone else.

"You know, you haven't changed much, have you, Slade?"

Deathstroke turned around and came face to face with the Green Arrow. The skilled assassin eyed his enemy, a smile shifting across his face. An arrow shot at Slade, but he caught it with his free hand.

"So, Queen's protégé has decided to take his former hood," Slade said. "I can't say I'm surprised…there's always someone who wants to protect those who have wronged others from true and swift justice."

Artemis fired another couple of arrows at Slade. Slade dodged every single attack Artemis fired at him. The assassin jumped into the air and kicked the archer in the face. Artemis flew back onto her ass with a thud.

Slade raised the blade up to his shoulder.

"I'll make this swift and painless," Slade said. "This isn't personal…just business….unless you….."

Artemis sent an arrow right through Slade's hand, forcing him to drop the sword. The archer nailed him with a series of kicks, causing him to fly down through the roof, crashing down hard below.

"Do I want to make this personal?" Artemis asked. She aimed one of the arrows at Slade, but Slade rolled to his feet.

Slade disarmed her, before drilling her in the stomach with a knee to the ribs. The assassin grabbed Artemis around her neck and flipped her down to the ground. Artemis ricocheted off of the ground hard and Slade stood on her face.

"I didn't want for this to be made personal," Slade said. He pulled down the hood. "As I suspected….never did like your father….always thought he was a punk. Glad he's rotting in jail."

Slade pressed his foot down on Artemis's chest, pinning her down onto the ground. The archer struggled against Slade's push of his foot, in an attempt to kick out of the position.

"Makes two of us," Artemis said. She managed to slip out and fire an arrow at him. The arrow released a rope, sending some barrels down on Slade. Slade dodged the barrels with a forward roll before they smashed him to bits. "Doesn't make I like you any more."

Slade rose his arms for the attack, but the White Canary came down from the heavens.

"Never mind, the archer, this is personal," Slade said.

"Whatever happened, it was in another life," Sara said.

Slade rushed rushed forward with his blade extended, but Sara dodged underneath the attack. The Assassin turned around and Sara kept nailing him with a series of rapid fire punches and kicks. The adversary staggered back. Her punches and kicks became more frantic.

Several ninja assassins moved in, but Kara swept them off of the ground, flying into them at super speed. The ninjas who scattered found themselves being taken down from a barrage of arrows from Artemis. One of them caught the ninja in the knee.

A larger assassin stepped in, but Black Canary dropped down and opened her mouth. One Canary Cry caused the assassin to fly back onto the ground.

Sara ripped Slade's concealed dagger away from him and stabbed him in the stomach. She smiled.

"If I had to guess, the poison will flow through your body within the next fifteen minutes, won't it?" Sara asked. "I could give you an antidote, or I can make you suffer one of the most gruesome deaths you've ever felt."

"Yes, like you scare me," Slade said. He looked up at Sara with beady eyes, and a sickening grin on his face. "Do your worst, little girl. Your worst will never get the better of me, ever."

"We'll see," Sara said.

"Sara, what are you doing?" Dinah asked.

"Getting information," Sara said. She turned around and Dinah stepped towards him.

"Death, I've cheated it before…and how do you even know I tried to stab you with a poison dagger?" Deathstroke asked.

"How do you know you weren't given a poison dagger by your benefactor?" Sara asked. Deathstroke gazed up with a bleary eye and Sara kicked him in the groin. Slade groaned when he fell to the ground. "I'm sure even with your healing factor."

"You crazy bit….."

Sara kicked Deathstroke in the ribs, doubling him over. Blood poured from his mouth.

"Sara, enough," Dinah said.

"I don't like people saying I'm crazy," Sara said. Her eyes flashed with madness. "And I don't like when people use the other word either."

Kara stabbed Slade with a needle before anyone could do anything else. Slade started to convulse in agony as the poison had been removed from his system.

"Part one of a two part antidote," Kara said. "It will stop you from dying, but it will make you wish you had been killed straight away. The agony will be never ending, but thanks to your healing….nothing which can kill you."

Sara beamed at Kara.

"I love you…that's amazing," Sara said. The assassin practically gushed at Kara. "He can't cheat me by dying on me, and he's going to suffer."

Slade's eye screwed shut with the most agonizing pain he ever felt. First he tried to deny it, but the more agony spread through his body, the less the assassin could deny it.

"You better say something," Dinah said. "My sister isn't patient."

Slade finally reached his own threshold of pain, the agony practically breaking him and stabbing through his body.

"Fine, fine….some pale bloke hired me to steal the tablet!" Slade yEllad at the top of his lungs. Slade experienced another stabbing pain in his side. The pain increased and he found himself willing to part with more information. "I don't know his name…but he has…the Daughters of the Demon….it's his insurance against the Dragon."

"Wasn't too hard, was it?" Kara asked. She injected Slade with the other part of the antidote.

Sara kicked Slade in the face one more time for good measure.

"You do realize he would have passed out, don't you?" Kara asked.

Sara didn't answer, she disappeared into the darkness without a trace, her work done. Leaving Dinah in particular with more questions and a complete lack of closure.

* * *

Ella parked herself in the Clocktower, going rather stir crazy. The cast placed on her arm wasn't exactly the most comfortable in the world. It felt like something prodded at her arm.

Barbara's hand blocked Ella's from messing with the cast.

"It isn't supposed to be comfortable," Barbara said. "It's supposed to help you heal."

Ella's scowl caused Barbara to respond with a smile. Funnily enough, the scowl put on the young girl's face didn't fade in the slightest when Barbara reached forward and patted her on the head. Barbara leaned down and looked at the folded up costume on the chair beside her.

"You wear it well," Barbara said.

"Is this an endorsement?" Ella asked.

"No, not particularly," Barbara said. She leaned in closer towards the former mob princess. "I wouldn't get too attached to the costume, because one day, I'll be back on the field."

Ella figured out the point, but decided to bring up an obvious point.

"Gotham City needs a Batgirl."

Barbara smiled, she wasn't going to argue the point from Ella. She reached over and offered Ella a drink. Ella awkwardly held the glass with her good arm. It looked almost amusing to see her lack of coordination using her left arm as opposed to your right arm.

"And Gotham City needs a Batgirl who is better trained," Barbara said. Ella raised her eyebrow. "I think I can help you, if you're going to let me….but if you're going to do this, even before you get the costume back on."

"I'm fine," Ella said.

Barbara reached forward and tapped on her cast. The former princess scowled and shook her head.

"Are you really fine?" Barbara asked. She continued to casually drum her fingers casually up against the cast. "I think the fact you're wearing a cast argues against the point you're fine."

Ella slid back on the chair, her arms continued to fold against her chest. As much as she hated to admit when someone had a point, this girl had a point. She stared back at Barbara with an intense frown on her face.

"Fine, I guess I need a bit of a tune up," Ella said. She rose to her feet. "And you know, if you're willing to teach me….."

"Sit down, and take a deep breath," Barbara said. Ella almost argued, but the stern look on Barbara's face caused Ella to sit down. With her father and Batman, Barbara Gordon perfected a rather stern look. "Batgirl or not, you're going to need to get some rest. We can start this again, when your arm heals up."

Ella nearly had a rant on the tip of her tongue.

"So, what do you think I should be when you recover?" Ella asked. "I mean, if you want to step into the role of Batgirl….although I think you've upgraded from Batgirl, maybe you should be Batwoman or something?"

"Flattering as it might be, the role is someone else's to take," Barbara said.

Barbara thought about maybe Ella should take up the name Huntress, if Helena decided to take up the moniker of Batwoman. The computer hacker didn't know what the holdup was, but she wanted to find out why Helena hesitated on taking this name.

The doors opened, and Kara, Dinah, and Artemis walked into the room. The minute Dinah entered, Barbara frowned.

"You look like hell," Barbara said.

"After what I've been through tonight, can you really blame me?" Dinah asked. "Sara's alive…and she's in the middle of something dangerous again."

Barbara knew how sore of a subject her sister was for Dinah, so all she could do was smile, listen, and offer the occasional bit of advice. All she could really do at this point in time. Regardless, the three blondes made their way in.

Ella leaned forward, to listen to what she missed when spending time on the injured reserve list.

* * *

Sara hated leaving her sister in a lurch like this, but what she learned from Slade presented a huge project. The White Canary slipped through the archway once again into the domain of the Dragon, hoping she could fully detach herself from past emotions.

A small part of her formally corrupted soul lingered in the darkest resources in her mind and complicated an already dangerous situation.

"You encountered your sister," the Dragon said in a calm voice when the White Canary approached. "And you almost considered returning back to what you left behind."

"I tried, but….today, I nearly broke."

"I do not expect perfection, my dear Canary," the Dragon said. She squeezed Sara's hand and leaned towards her, kissing her with a lingering kiss. "Merely, competence."

The White Canary nodded, feeling grateful her mistress was merciful. She noticed the young woman having worked forward on the same tablet she swiped from Cobblepot's domain.

"If you want to ask, ask away," the enchanting-emerald assassin said. "I'd prefer you ask a foolish question, than assume your question is foolish."

"Is it everything you suspected it to be?" the White Canary asked.

A long pause followed and the candles flickered, only scarcely illuminating the area around them. The dripping of a faucet echoed in the background.

"One part to a set, and not the only means which they can use to raise Ra's Al Ghul from the beyond. And they will explore other avenues."

"Slade confirmed what you suspected," The White Canary said. She sat down at the invitation of her leader. "The White Ghost lives, and he may have captured the two daughters of the Demon."

The lights flickered and Sara looked closely into the eyes of the young woman before her. For another second, Sara forgot herself, but recalled who she was.

 _'Sara Lance died, the White Canary lives on.'_

The dragon removed the hood, to reveal the face of Alia Evans. Sara understood how serious the situation grew when they looked each other face to face. She suspected a long time ago Alia's mask was her face, and the guise of the Dragon was her true self.

"Never forget yourself, even if you have grown stronger than it," Alia said. "But, I must pull you off of the mission because you could have a conflict of interests."

"You think Nyssa….."

"I don't think, I know."

Sara fell back into line; her mistress had given the final word, so it would be extremely difficult to argue with her at this point. The woman wondered where they were going next. More questions entered her mind, than answers.

No sooner did Sara have a chance to blink, the Dragon walked over to one side and looked up towards the ceiling. She replaced the hood removed from her face seconds over. From her body language, Sara noticed straight away she contemplated something.

"A reckoning is at hand," Alia said. "Soon, we will clash, and….we will need assistance…..it will be a lot easier to bring Supergirl into the fold, than to have her on the outside with questions."

"Are you going to tell her everything?" Claire asked. Both Alia and Sara turned to the woman known as Nightwing, silent until this point.

"I'm going to tell her as much as needed, while filling in the rest when those facts are needed," Alia said. "And more importantly when I'm certain of certain facts. You know what they say about assumptions."

Alia excused herself from the room, brushing past both of her charges. The emerald-eyed assassin made a short trip and dialed up a number.

"We're going to have to pay your counterpart a vision."

* * *

A pale skinned gentlemen dressed in black robes and looked towards a prison cell. His guards, standing near the cell, hung their head. The man's skin, devoid of any color, looked even more devoid when compared to the darker robes he wore.

The sneer grew on the man's face and he walked towards the cell. A humorless expression spread over his face. The man touched one hand towards the edge of the cell.

"Your loyalty to our father might have wavered, but I didn't."

Despite the woman's face being shrouded in shadows, one could tell the look of absolute distaste burning through her eyes. The woman stared down her adversary,

"Talia, you might hate me for what's happened in the past, but even you will not deny the necessity of the situation," the man said. "Nyssa might have escaped, but our sister was stabbed by our guards before she jumped into the icy cold waters."

Dusan Al Ghul, the White Ghost, stood in greater prominence. He made sure his sister saw his importance, with the faction of the League he commanded.

"Naturally, though, we will exhaust every effort for a search, until we find Nyssa's body. And if there's any breath still left in it, she will pay for her treason."

"You might have a few brain cells yet, Dusan," Talia said. The woman scoffed. "But not as many as you think you might, if you're dabbling in this madness."

Dusan cupped his hand against the cell and leaned in, pressing his body against the cell.

"My father's search for an heir was fruitless," Dusan said. "He came to me, and he told me of the grave mistake he made. I will correct the mistake."

Talia blinked and looked at her brother with a small amount of contempt.

"Our father, came to you?" Talia asked. "His spirit was finally at rest."

"You know nothing of our father," Dusan said. He fingered the dagger, what he wouldn't give to put it through the wench who betrayed his father. "He will return and Ra's Al Ghul will be stronger than ever, until I'm ready to ascend to my proper place."

"You were cast out for a reason," Talia said.

"Mind your tongue in the presence of your betters!" Dusan yelled.

"Oh, you're so bold when I'm chained in a cell," Talia said. She spoke without fear, because she had nothing to fear from a peasant like the White Ghost. "I hope your bravery holds up in the face of the Dragon. She will be here, and she will annihilate you."

Dusan turned in an ugly fashion. The man walked off, not sparing Talia another moment. She would be needed for the sacrifice. Deathstroke failed to acquire the tablet, but there were other ways.

Talia sighed, Alia killed Ra's Al Ghul and acquired her rightful spot as the head of the League. She challenged him, Ra's accepted, thinking no woman could best him, and Alia defeated him. By right of ancient law, she lead the League of Assassins.

Some people just couldn't let it go. Talia held her hands up, hoping Nyssa managed to escape Dusan's stronghold, otherwise they would be back to square one.

The idiot thought their father spoke to him, which showed Talia how far gone he was. But, it was curious, if not her father, someone must be feeding him misinformation.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on February 12** **th** **, 2016.**


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter Fifty-One: Secrets Uncovered:**

* * *

Kara Kent stretched her arms above her head and climbed out of her bed. The woman slipped on a red tank top and a pair of sweat pants. Saturday finally reached after a hectic week. Well not hectic as far as the super hero life was concerned, the super hero life seemed to be about as stable as it could be, at least Kara hoped so. No, the real insanity occurred when Kara's teachers all decided to give her a boatload of coursework. She could finish the coursework pretty much easily to be honest, but still the vast amount of it caused Kara to be stressed.

Also, she felt for Dinah, given what she was going through with her sister, going off of the beaten path and down a dark one to boot. Kara sympathized with Dinah one hundred percent of the way because the Girl of Steel experienced similar challenges regarding her cousin, which caused her to shake her head, a frown curling over her face.

 _'Let's not worry about Claire this early in the morning.'_

Kara busied about fixing herself a cup of coffee. Barbara went off to Gotham City to visit her father and Donna went off to hang out with her sister, so Kara pretty much had the full run of the penthouse for herself, at least for this morning.

A knock on the door caused Kara to rise up to her feet, wondering who could have called on herself this early in the morning. Kara reached over to click the door open, coming face to face with the one and only Cat Grant, who stood on the other side of the door, looking over Kara.

"Hey, Cat, what do I owe the early morning visit?" Kara asked.

"Just thought…just thought I'd swing by and check up on you," Cat said.

Kara frowned and took a look at the younger reporter. Something about her demeanor looked very off. Kara couldn't put her finger on it quite yet, but she did look extremely off.

"Oh, well, come in," Kara said. "I should have been the one to check up you….I heard what happened."

Cat smiled knowingly, but never the less, she allowed Kara to pull her inside.

"I was fixing a cup of coffee," Kara said. "Would you like one?"

Cat nodded, the reporter loved her coffee. She wasn't the addict a lot of reporters were, but still, Cat loved her coffee.

Kara smiled, although a bit weakly, of the look on Cat's face. She tried not to look eager, but at the same time, Cat got eager.

"I have to admit, it does make a lot of sense what happened," Cat said. She took a drink of her coffee, which gave her a bit more pep, at least enough to launch into this entirely insane theory she developed. "You know, Superwoman disappeared, some people thought she was dead, but she really only lost her powers. And Nightwing showed up, around the same time where Claire disappeared."

"Cat, you've been through a pretty awful ordeal, settle down," Kara said.

"Well, yes, I have," Cat said. "No one will believe it if I told them….and I think Lois knows."

"Why don't you ask Lois what she knows?" Kara asked.

Cat answered with a bit of a laugh. The reporter liked Lois Lane, a whole lot, but Cat would have to admit Lois did a pretty good job in keeping her cards as close to her vest as completely possible, especially in situations like this.

"Well, you're Supergirl, aren't you?"

Kara walked behind Cat and started to rub her shoulders, giving her a massage.

"You're distressed Cat, I know you took some time off of work, so it's given you a lot of time to think," Kara said.

"Are you…distracting me?" Cat asked.

Cat realized if Kara tried to distract her, it worked a whole lot. Her hands worked over the tension knot in Cat's neck. The reporter experienced fingers which can only be considered divine.

"You better be careful not to say what you think to the wrong person," Kara said. "Because, there are people out there who will kill for the kind of information you think you know."

Cat hadn't really thought of this this way. Kara put an entirely new grim perspective on this entire situation.

"I haven't told anyone…only you and Lois," Cat said.

"We can talk about this more, over dinner, next weekend, if you're free," Kara said. "If you want answers by then, I'll tell you what I know…if I know anything."

Cat raised her eyebrow in response to Kara.

"If you know anything?" Cat asked.

"But, it gives you plenty of time to think about if this is such a good idea to live so dangerously," Kara said. She tapped her finger to the side of Cat's face. "Just consider your options."

"Right," Cat said. "Oh, shit, I'm going to be late….Lois is going to help me look over a story."

Kara sensed a feeling of dread coming through her body.

"Just don't let her proofread your spelling and grammar," Kara said.

Cat laughed, she heard the story alright, about how Lois drove one man to tears with her constant mistakes. Granted, Cat wasn't a Grammar Nazi by any means, and she remembered the rule of Grammatical Karma. Those who point out the flaws in others writing are doomed to make a hilarious mistake themselves. Likely in the same spot where they criticized the person in question.

"See you later, Kara…and what time?"

"Let's say six o clock, next Friday," Kara said.

Cat's smile grew deeper and she walked off, with a spring in her step.

Kara sighed, before her morning coffee, Kara really wasn't in a good enough frame of mind to deal with this.

Suddenly, The Penthouse window shattered and a dagger flew through the window. The dagger stuck to the wall with a note attached to it. It scrapped the walls.

 _'And this early in the morning, I'm really not in the mood to deal with this.'_

Kara scrambled over to the dagger, removing it from the wall. With a steady hand and a look over her shoulder, Kara read the message.

* * *

Jade Nyugen, Cheshire, slipped down a set of steps, having just returned from the other side of Metropolis. The jade dragon statue greeted her. With a frown, Cheshire nicked her finger, offering the tribute of blood to allow her entrance. The mystical energies around the temple healed the cut on her finger she created.

Those worthy would be healed by the temple when the entered. Those who were less than worthy of the temple would not be healed by the temple. Cheshire thought the idea sounded rather obvious and convenience.

Cheshire passed both the White Canary and Nightwing. Both of them surveyed her for a moment, but they all stepped off to one side, leaving Cheshire's path to the dragon clear and complete.

The woman edged closer towards the woman dressed in green robes and a green mask. With a smile which came close to matching the one upon her mask, Cheshire dropped to one knee in submission.

"You may rise, no need to be on your knees before me."

 _'Not without receiving any pleasure anyway,'_ Jade thought to herself.

"Did you deliver the message?" Alia asked.

"I think she got the message, although I had to get out of there pretty quickly," Jade said. "With Wayne's security and her being faster than a speeding bullet, it was a one in a million shot I would succeed."

"But you took the shot, didn't you?"

"Yes, and got away, because…otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Despite the obvious snark going through the woman's tone, Alia reached forward and pressed her hand to Jade's shoulder.

"You've done well," Alia said.

"Yes, I have," Jade said. "But, I don't mean to pat myself on the back….and I think the tone of this room has gotten colder than it should…so what's up?"

Alia almost removed her mask, or put it on, depending on your perspective.

"The White Ghost, the estranged son of Ra's Al Ghul, continues to live," Alia said.

"And you intend for me to wipe him out," Jade said.

"Your talents are much better needed at my side, in Metropolis, keeping an eye on your sister," Alia said.

"You made me broke her arm," Jade said. It wasn't really a complaint coming from her, merely some type of observation coming from her mouth.

"I merely wanted to test if she was serious of taking up Queen's former mantle, or if she was just doing it out of obligation, making a promise to a dead man," Alia said. "I had my answer and I thank you for what you've done….and you've done worse to your sister without my coercion."

Jade didn't say anything. If one peaked beneath the woman's mask, they might have noticed another smile, resembling the one on her mask creeping out.

"Soon, I will speak to her," Alia said. "We should be on the same side, because I have a lot in common."

"Do you expect her to fall in line?" Nightwing asked. "Kara is stubborn….."

"She is also an extremely intelligent girl, given what I know, she'll at least hear me out," Alia said. The enchanting emerald-eyed female responded with a smile. "She'll know what she needs to know."

Alia realized she traveled down a dangerous slope, but she didn't want to give Kara any information she didn't know herself without absolute concrete certainty. Thus presented a really huge problem.

"And I've assisted her numerous times, some she didn't even notice," Alia said. "And we have a similar goal…to restore you to all you can be….but given your training, you can now be a much better Superwoman."

Claire didn't know if she wanted to head back the road of being Superwoman again. The more she thought about it, the more she felt she took a couple of steps, after going forward.

Almost as if Alia caught a glimpse of Claire's thoughts, she reached over and placed a hand onto her shoulder, an accommodating smile following seconds later.

"A bridge we'll cross when necessary."

Alia injected Supergirl with the antidote, a good start to be honest, but there was one vital component missing. Something else happened to Kara, which didn't happen to Claire. When they ran the simulation the antidote, she was not cured of the Golden Kryptonite.

"White Canary, if you please."

The White Canary turned around and walked next to the Dragon, the two of them leaving the room. The last thing they wanted to do was be late for an extremely important meeting.

* * *

As far as backup when, Supergirl thought she could do far worse than the Black Canary. Given Black Canary sought answers of her own, she agreed to tag on with Kara on this meeting.

"So, do you think when the note said everything, the writer meant everything?"

Supergirl answered with a shrug.

"You know, I haven't the slightest idea," Kara said. She flipped her hair back with a slight groan crossing her face. "But you know, we're going to find out some time soon."

"Yes, good, I'm glad," Dinah said.

No sooner did those words pass Dinah's mouth, the White Canary popped up out of the shadows. The woman's mouth hung open, but Dinah closed it, preventing herself from doing her best impression of someone catching flys. Talk about extremely bad form to have.

The White Canary escorted the enchanting emerald eyed ninja into their line of sight. Kara's gaze fixed into the woman's eyes. The green eyes, more familiar than ever before, prompted Kara to stand up straight.

 _'So, trap, or not.'_

The White Canary and the Dreaded Dragon moved forward, beckoning for Supergirl and Black Canary to follow them. The two of them made their way through the top entrance of an office building. Kara almost jumped up high in the air when she realized where they were going.

The two of them slipped into Starrwave, and they watched a woman stand at the end of the hallway. She wore a brunette wig and glasses, and a rather conservative looking business suit, which looked rather loose on her.

"Karen Starr, the owner of the company…"

"There's a meeting room there, we shouldn't be disturbed."

Black Canary and Supergirl stared at each other, and frowned. The Owner of one of the brightest new technology companies in Metropolis ran with the League of Assassins? Something about it seemed off, but never the less, Kara and Dinah followed them.

Both crime fighters took a long look at all of the exits, trying to figure out a way out of where they were, in case all hell broke loose.

"Water?" Karen asked. "Coffee…anything else I can get you?"

"No, there's nothing," Kara said.

"I don't think they came here for drinks," the Dragon said. "They came here for answers."

Karen thanked Alia to get to the point.

"Right…my name isn't Karen Starr," Karen said. She pulled off the wig and glasses, to reveal a very familiar face to Kara and Dinah. A few buttons on her blouse had been popped allowing her breasts to breathe a bit more freely.

"You're Power Girl, aren't you?" Kara asked.

"In a sense, I am," Karen said. "But, I was born Kara Zor-El of Krypton."

Kara was glad she didn't accept the drink, she would have spit it out on the desk. She almost tipped back in her chair, but the Dragon prevented it from going over.

"Yes, and I'm sure you knew by now my name is Alexandra Evans," she said, slipping off her mask to reveal her face. "I'm guessing the eyes give it away."

"They are distinctive," Kara said. How could she not guess? "Why didn't you wear color contacts or something?"

"I normally do as the Dragon, unless I'm under the presence of someone I trust," Alia said. "But, we're not from around here, we're from the 31st century, Kara and I are."

Kara blinked and had been driven completely speechless. The time travel thing caused Kara to be caught for a loop, but it made sense considering there was now two of her, even if one was….more mature.

She drew her eyes away from her future self's cleavage, but she didn't really feel ashamed because of her wandering eye, well not completely.

"I remember the look on my face, when Alia told me where she came from," Karen said. Kara blinked. "Long story, about seven books worth of story, might share it with you sometime, if you ask nicely."

Kara kept the thought in mind, with her lips growing more prominent with an extremely obvious smile.

"I believe I tempted you here with the promises of an explanation," Alia said. Kara responded with a nod. "And I'm not going to lure you here underneath false hope."

* * *

Nyssa Al Ghul stumbled through the frozen grounds. The wounds she suffered weren't really helping her progress any. She experienced a heavy fever and the Daughter of the Demon expected some kind of infection to follow. Granted, she could fix up anything with a quick trip to the Lazarus Pit, even though the madness would follow soon later.

The White Ghost's men followed her and Nyssa had no way to contact the Dragon. No doubt Alia would be looking for her.

She promised Talia she would get help, and thanks to her stab wounds, Nyssa found herself struggling to move forward to get the help she needed.

The sounds of footsteps approaching her caused Nyssa to groan. The snow and cold caused her to almost collapse down.

The Daughter of the Demon hated the fact out here was the place where she would die. Frozen and cold out in the snow, without any place for her to go, it was extremely difficult.

Nyssa tried to power through, people counted on her, her younger sister being the one of them. The White Ghost grew mad, especially when he thought his father's spirit talked to him.

"I thought I heard something here, search the area."

One more time, Nyssa rose to her feet, picking up a large jagged tree branch from the ground. It wasn't much of a weapon and Nyssa could barely take a step forward without great pain. The Daughter of the Demon needed to fight, regardless of the circumstances.

 _'Won't go down, won't stay down, not without a fight.'_

The army of men approached her. Nyssa tried to nail him with a jagged tree branch, but the man's blade sliced it into splinters. Nyssa grabbed him by the head and used his momentum to put him to the ground. She staggered around.

"The White Ghost never specified he wanted her alive….just he wanted her body brought back."

"No, he said he'd only need one of them for the ritual."

Nyssa never thought the word ritual ever panned out to anything good. The Daughter of the Demon continued to struggle to her feet, but collapsed in the snow, sliding with her legs buckling underneath her. The woman's breathing increasing.

Death approached her, but it would not be on her knees. Despite the fact she needed the help of a tree to hold herself up, despite blood dripped from her mouth, Nyssa held herself off.

"Finish me, if you think you can."

Nyssa prepared to spite her attackers with her dying breath. Only to see a figure move over in the shadows. A swipe of a katana blade disabled one of the attackers. The man in question dropped to the ground, a sickening gash opened up his chest when he fell over.

More sword swipes and the figure, whoever she was, made short work of the enemies.

Of course, just because she attacked the White Ghost's men, it didn't mean she was an alley.

"Hang on; I'm going to get you somewhere safe."

Nyssa barely registered the words, blacking out instantly. She fell face first in the snow, the fatigue, the blood loss, and the infection, getting to her.

* * *

"I think it begins and ends with a team of heroes from the distant future called the Legion of Super Heroes," Alia said. "They were the premier super hero team in the 31st century. Earth was taken over by several alien races, after the extinction of humanity four hundred or so years from now."

Kara and Dinah tried to piece it together, but time travel caused anyone's brains to hurt.

"I told Karen pretty much everything I remembered before I was brought out of stasis, but there's a lot of bits and pieces to what happened….which I really don't remember," Alia said. She smiled and shook her head. "I remember enough of what happen to know if I remembered everything that happened, it wouldn't really be a good thing, to be perfectly honest."

"The Legion found both of us at the same time," Karen said. "They brought me out of stasis."

"Wait, if you're the future, and you're me….how am I out of stasis?" Kara asked.

Dinah didn't say anything, but one could see enough based on the look of the young woman's face how she pretty much came to the same conclusion Kara did.

"Well, you weren't for another thousand years or so," Karen said. "You were…well I wasn't, but….something changed. One of our many enemies went back through time. Alia and I offered to go into the past and take him down…but there was a chain of events which lead to you being out of stasis early and a few other changes."

"Changes for the better, a few of them, and many changes which left the future as we know it to be extremely uncertain," Alia said. "It brought you out of stasis, but it also caused a few people to die sooner, a few people to step up before they're ready, and a few people who suffered other problems. Clara being the obvious, given she lost her powers."

Kara whistled, the changes sounded rather bad.

"First of all, I don't mind necessarily being let out of stasis a few hundred years early," Kara said. Alia answered with a swift nod and a smile. "But….what's stopping you from going back in time and stopping the criminal before he even starts his rampage?"

"Good question, but you should know time, past, present, and future, is a rather fickle thing," Alia said. "We can go back to certain points in time, but we can't just pick and choose. Time has to be a harmonic line to travel into the past."

"And our actions caused us to create some kind of alternate timeline," Karen said. "And by some kind of fluke of science, we exist outside of the time."

"How can you be for sure?" Kara asked.

"Well to be fair, every single moment we stand outside of the fabric of time…..and don't get erased, it leads credence to the alternate time line theory," Alia said. "And we did something productive along the way…..taking control of the League….because if you're going to go for broke, you might as well have the resources to make things better."

"A bit too late for that, don't you think?" Kara asked.

A knock on the door saved Alia from answering the question.

"Come in!"

Gwen opened the door and passed Alia a folder, putting it down on the table.

"We're just discussing how we got here," Alia said.

"Oh, the time travel thing," Gwen said, with a sigh in response. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to avoid this conversation, it makes my head spin."

Gwen passed through the doorway, with Gwen waiting for her to leave the general area around them. With a smile on her face.

"The League has no idea what they're dealing with," Alia said. "They might try to bring in Ra's Al Ghul, but…they have no idea what they're really doing. It's important I find the Daughters of the Demon and restore order to the League."

Kara allowed everything to sink in. On the one hand, Alex told her a lot. On the other hand, Kara couldn't help, but shake the thought Alia kept something from her.

"Now, I told you what you wanted to know, I have some questions for you."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on February 16** **th** **, 2016.**


	52. Chapter 52

Week six chapter of the week poll is linked to the profile. So go and vote. And now with that out of the way, on with your feature presentation.

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Two: An Uncertain Destiny:**

* * *

Kara sat across from Alia with her bright blue eyes burning into Alia's haunting green ones. To be perfectly honest, Kara expected some questions to come her way. Alia answered her questions, to most of Kara's satisfaction. Kara still had a few questions which loomed in the back of her mind and haunted her completely. Regardless, she craned her neck forward and raised her eyebrow.

"What kind of questions do you want to ask me?"

"It's very simple," Alia said. She didn't waste much breath or time. Figuring Kara would be annoyed, Alia pressed on. "You were exposed to the golden Kryptonite. Which should have stripped your powers, but yet…"

"Yet, I stand here as powerful as ever before," Kara said. She didn't want to sound arrogant, but it was the truth. Her powers remained. Alia's crisp nod gave Kara the opening to continue to speak and speak she did. "You know, I don't really know why I still have my powers….it's very confusing."

Alia stared back at Kara, obviously pondering something.

"Hmm, is it?" Alia asked.

"Well, you were the one who gave me the injection," Kara said. Alia nodded, figuring it would be beyond her to deny this. "And….well….you intended to cure me, didn't you? Did you expose me in the first place?"

The question cut Alia like a knife.

"I learned the League acquired a piece of gold Kryptonite, although it wasn't from Luthor's stock," Alia said. "Obviously, this piece of gold Kryptonite wasn't…but, yes, I managed to have Corben acquire the piece of gold Kryptonite."

Kara's face contorted into a momentary scowl. She wished nothing better than to reach across the table, grab Alia, and let her have it.

"This wasn't to hurt you."

Kara raised her eyebrow and gave Alia one of the nastiest looking expressions she ever gave another person.

"It was to help your cousin."

For a moment, Kara relaxed her body, but only for the briefest moment. She tried to look at Claire, to get any kind of vibe of her opinion on this mess. The only thing Kara received in response with a look of calm indifference. Kara looked back to Claire.

"How did putting me under risk to….." Kara said. She realized it instantly. "Oh, I see….you needed a live test subject to make sure your little cure worked. So you needed to infect me….."

"All of the simulations worked as planned," Alia said. "I realize your genetic makeup is slightly different than your cousin…you have powers she doesn't have."

Kara let this pass over her mind. She was still a bit annoyed at being used as a test dummy. The Girl of Steel's hands crunched the table. She only relaxed her form a slight bit and stared down at Alia. The two girls locked eyes with each other.

"But, it did restore your powers," Alia said.

"I could punch you and let you find out," Kara said.

Alia smiled, knowing Kara would be upset, hence why she didn't tell her right away. She knew in her heart of hearts, Alia would be upset as well if the situation would be reversed. And she had been in this position before, with people making decisions for her. Alia hated it, but time and perspective had given her a deeper understanding of the necessity of such an ordeal. No one liked it, but she had to do what she had to do.

"It won't be necessary."

Kara looked at Alia, and relaxed her hands from the table. The table was left with several nail marks digging into it from when Kara shoved her fingers in. Alia didn't say a word, she just looked back at Kara with a shadow of a smile on her face.

The lack of response caused Kara's annoyance to grow a slight bit more. She blurted out the next statement before really having a chance to think about it.

"What would you have done if your little nano-deal would have killed me?"

Alia blinked for the longest second and looked at Kara with an extreme amount of seriousness. She couldn't believe such a question had been asked, but then she realized, if Kara asked the question, she asked for a valid reason.

"Did you almost die?"

Kara paused for a longest second, almost kicking herself for saying way too much. Regardless, the Girl of Steel hung her head and nodded.

"My heart stopped for about seven minutes….before it could be restarted."

Alia read between the lines and knew Helena found a way to jump start Kara after technically dying.

"This is interesting, thank you for telling me."

Kara only responded with a solemn nod, her arms folded. She recognized the look on Alia's face as the look of someone who wouldn't part with any more information. At least until they had a good idea if the information they had was true.

Claire, who remained silent in the shadows, folded her arms. She thought about how Kara received her powers. Granted, she only had been partially stripped of the powers.

 _'Alia is right, she's more powerful than me….they wouldn't be removed as quickly. And despite Alia trying to restore my powers several times, let's face it, we aren't any closer now then we were before.'  
_  
More questions entered Claire's mind than she could think of. Stealing a quick look towards Alia, she realized the Dragon understood something. Either she figured out a way, or she figured out there was no way. Either way would give Claire closure on the entire power loss mess and would allow her to move on with her life.

* * *

A set of doors swung open, and a large black woman moved forward with a purpose. The government agents in the hallway moved to one side, not wanting to be in her path when she stepped forward.

Amanda Waller walked towards one of the highest clearance cells with a purpose. One of only a handful of people who acquired the clearance to enter the cell, Waller wanted to have some face time with the prisoner inside the cell.

Waller pressed her large hand on a keypad, causing it to blink to life. Two more stone doors slid open. Waller closed the distance towards an iron gate. Waller removed a keycard, and swiped it, before entering a room with a large glass cylinder.

"Are you willing to do it?"

The prisoner's eyes looked at Waller, with confusion. She spoke in a raspy voice.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"I only am concerned with the national security of the United States of America….which you…the alien menace….threatens every single day," Waller said. She stepped closer to the cell, only as close as she could dare."

"Please, I'm not….I wasn't one of the invaders…..I was their prisoner….I was…"

"If you were a prisoner, it must have meant you posed a danger to them, and if you posed a danger to them…..you most certainly pose a danger of the people of Earth."

The captive individual started to give a panicked round of breathing.

"No, please, I've never harmed anyone in my life. I just want to go back home."

"You should have thought about that sooner," Waller said. She made her way closer to the cage. Her tone sounded rather cold and sterile, devoid of any kind of emotion or passion, or life whatsoever. "You should have thought about it before you had yourself imprisoned."

"I can't help who my parents were….I was half and half….hated by both sides!"

Waller responded by shaking her head.

"You can start by telling us how the ship is opened, and I might offer you leniency."

A long pause followed when the prisoner in the cell shifted. The eyes stared at her.

"I can't."

"You can't," Waller said. "Or are you unwilling?"

Waller received nothing, but a shiver and a stare of pleading dancing in the woman's eyes.

"I don't think you realize how precious your situation is," Waller said. "For most of the prisoners in this facility, advanced interrogation techniques are what's needed. For you, all I need is a lighter to make you talk."

Before the question could be answered, a sound of footsteps rushed Waller. Waller turned her head towards the figure which turned up next to her, skidding to a stop, looking completely and utterly out of breath.

"Yes."

Waller's curt response always took a lot of people aback.

"There's been a security breach, in one of the cells!"

Waller straightened up and turned around, activating the gate, before she followed the figure down the hallway. The security guard started to wring his hands together, looking extremely nervous.

"Calm yourself…"

Waller noticed an opened cell and took a step inside to investigate, which caused the security guard to push her inside the cell with an immense force. The guard swiped Waller's key card, before sealing her inside the cell.

"What is this…whoever you are, you won't get away with this!"

The guard shifted into Waller, and walked down the hallway. The imposter Waller walked with a purpose, knowing she didn't have much time before the alarms kicked on.

She walked up to the cell and looked at her.

"I told you, I don't know any way to get the ship open, so could you just leave me alone, alright?"

"Relax, M'gann, it's me."

The weakened white/green Martian hybrid inside the cell blinked and her mouth curled into a smile, the most she smiled in a long time.

"M'rie?"

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here….yes, I believe it's here."

The lock on the dome activated, causing it to rise. A rather dazed M'gann slipped from the cell, with M'rie offering her a hand.

"We only have about five minutes before her alarms go off, or worse….her little Suicide Squad is called in."

* * *

Cat put her hair up in a clip and got herself a nice little black dress, along with stockings and high heels. She decided to make the most out of dinner with her girl crush as possible.

As much as she cleaned up, Cat found herself blown away when Kara showed up. The red dress Kara wore clung to her curves in the most stunning manner possible. It showed a little cleavage, which drew Cat's eyes to it, but not too much.

"Wow, Kara, you look…amazing," Cat said. She popped her lips together.

"You look beautiful as well, Cat," Kara said. "Shall we?"

Kara offered her arm and Cat, with a big grin on her face, decided to take it. The reporter's eyes looked around and her heart started to flutter.

"How did you get reservations to a place like this?" Cat asked. "It's amazing."

"Well, knowing Helena Wayne does open up a few more doors than would be possible."

Cat gave her a humoring smile when the two of them sat down on the table. After the waiter took their orders and told them it would be twenty minutes, Kara turned towards Cat.

"So, I don't know much about you…so, how did you get involved in the whacky world of journalism?"

"Well, I didn't think I would be a journalist for a long time," Cat said. "I wanted to be a fashion designer, but….the career choice didn't really pan out."

"It can be a pretty cutthroat field," Kara said. "My friend Lana could have hooked you up with something, if I would have known you before."

Cat almost sat up straight in surprise and a level of astonishment.

"Wait, you know Lana Lang?" Cat asked. "The Lana Lang?"

"Yes," Kara said. "She and my cousin were friends….maybe more, when they grew up in Smallville."

Cat's eyes looked on with a smile and she wondered, perhaps her dirty mind played tricks on her. Then again, she hung around Lois for too much more.

"Haven't talked to her in a while, she's been busy in Europe, and making a lot of money by the looks of things," Kara said. "Likely she's spending most of her time wining and dining with kings and queens, instead of sleeping in alleyways and dining on pork and beans, or something."

Cat giggled, taking a drink of the wine which had been offered.

"But, you decided to become a reporter," Kara said. "Pretty big leap after wanting to be a fashion designer."

Cat smiled when she took another drink of the wine. She figured there was no need to be nervous, even if she had dinner with a larger than life figure.

"Well, it was Lois and her little story about the White Martian invasion a few years ago," Cat said. "You know, the one which formed the Justice League and where Superwoman officially went public."

"Yes," Kara said, smiling. "I do recall….although she had been a hero for many years before."

"Well no one comes out as good as she did," Cat said, gushing. "And it was around the time where Claire got a job at the Daily Planet as a reporter….when Superwoman became popular in Metropolis. And there had been plenty of evidence of some kind of mysterious savior in Smallville."

Kara remained silent, not answering the question, at least not right away.

"You know, Smallville, where your cousin grew up."

Kara smiled and decided she should take a drink of wine herself. Their dinner arrived at the moment, and the waiter walked off in the other direction.

Cat took Kara's lack of answer as her encouragement to press on, so press on the reporter did.

"It's a wonder Claire was able to keep her identity a secret for so long…there were so many clues there….but I guess people didn't want to think someone as amazing as Superwoman would have a secret identity, or something along those lines."

Kara took a bite and didn't say anything for the longest time.

"Are you really still on about all of that?"

"I know, it sounds silly," Cat said. She experienced gratitude because Kara didn't confirm her words were in fact silly. With a deep breath, Cat pressed on with a few more words. "But, if you think about….well if you think about everything…it makes a lot of sense."

"Does it?" Kara asked.

"All of the clues are there," Cat said. She took another drink of wine and became a bit more daring. She leaned in towards Kara, smiling. "You have pasta sauce on your lips."

Cat reached forward and brushed the pasta sauce off of Kara's lips. She placed her finger into her mouth and slowly sucked it.

Kara shook her head, Cat really thought she could play this game with her, didn't she?

"Don't worry, honey, I won't tell a soul," Cat said. "Besides, who would believe me some farmer's daughter from Kansas is Superwoman….not I have anything against farmer's daughters from Kansas….but you know….."

"Doesn't really fit the profile of your stereotypical superhero," Kara said. "And I'm not saying she is….."

"Of course not," Cat said. She winked at Kara.

Kara smiled, feeling Cat's stocking clad foot begin to brush at her thigh underneath the table. She would be fun tonight, when Kara got her back home. A quick peak with her X-Ray vision saw what Cat had on underneath her dress, or rather what she didn't.

"Let's finish dinner, and….maybe we can have dessert back at the penthouse," Kara said. She leaned in and whispered in Cat's ear when she said it.

Cat shifted herself, thankful she didn't wear panties for this date. Otherwise, they would have been wet.

* * *

Nyssa Al Ghul woke up in a bed, shuddering. She rose up to her feet, almost collapsing. Her eyes averted towards a bandaged up arm, and realized she had been in a pretty bad situation. How bad, Nyssa really didn't know?

"You should not try and strain yourself; you've been through a serious attack."

Nyssa smiled when she realized who she had been found and patched up by.

"I found out what my disgraced and diseased brother is up to," Nyssa said. Alia nodded and motioned for her to continue. "But, he still has Talia….and who knows what he'll do to her."

Alia leaned down and captured Nyssa's lips with a brief kiss. The distressed daughter of the demon returned the kiss, with Nyssa pushing her tongue into Alia's mouth.

"We'll get her back, and….stop the White Ghost."

Nyssa dropped back on the bed with a sigh, pretty much all she could do until her condition stabilized.

"I cured the infection, but you'll be weak for a while," Alia said.

"Thank you," Nyssa said. She frowned, not wanting to be weak. "He still thinks he'll be welcomed back with open arms from our father….he still hasn't realized Ra's Al Ghul chose his own defeat."

Alia touched her hand to Nyssa's. Nyssa looked up, Alia's green eyes had a calming effect on her, something Nyssa both loved and hated.

"Get some rest…we'll figure this all out later, together."

Alia stepped out into the main corridor of her fortress, and took about ten steps down the hallway, before turning into Helena Wayne, or the Huntress, rather. The two of them looked at each other.

"Thank you for finding Nyssa, and bringing her back."

"One of my operatives came across her, and it was lucky she did," Helena said. "And the irony is she was once a spy within the League of Assassins, who was once a spy in the CIA."

Alia answered with a crisp nod and the merest shadow of a smile when she leaned in closer towards Helena.

"Yes, I know who you're talking about," Alia said. "Tatsu did help me…you both did, giving me a lot of information regarding the League to make my takeover seem less painful. Although there were a few snags along the way."

"Seems like you ran into a snag regarding Kara."

Alia blinked and Helena decided to press on.

"You know, whatever you know, and you're going to have to tell her."

Alia didn't know whether or not Helena figured it out, she didn't ask, Helena didn't ask. Their relationship happened to result in a lot of communication which shrouded in inneudo and double talk. The nature of how everything worked with them would give people on the outside fits.

"I'll tell her, when I have tangible proof."

Helena figured it was the best she could get out of Alia.

 _'Wonder if this is how people feel when they try and get information out of me…or how they felt when they tried to get information out of my father.'_

"But, we have a far more pressing problem at hand," Alia said. "The League ends to bring Ra's Al Ghul back…and if they do this….he won't come back right…if we're lucky."

Helena took the comment in stride.

"If you say he won't come back right, if we're lucky….."

"A crazed and feral Ra's Al Ghul could be put down like a mad dog, if we can get in close enough," Alia said. "The other….possible consequences are more dire….the League doesn't realize what happens when they dabble in magic of this nature. It can cause a multitude of really complications."

Helena figured this wasn't going to be anything they could resolve in an amount of time.

"We still need to rescue, Talia, and with Talia, comes the White Ghost," Alia said.

"Stop the plan before it even starts," Helena said. Alia nodded in response, pleased to see Helena understood where they were heading with this situation.

* * *

Kara dragged Cat back up to her apartment. Going back to the Penthouse was a no go tonight, as Kara didn't think Cat could handle the long trip without throwing up in her car.

"Guess not much has changed since my…college days….I still can't hold my booze."

Kara led her into her apartment. Cat cleaned up her apartment meticulously, which was a change from the war zone Lois lived in.

"Thank you for carrying me upstairs," Cat said. She clung onto Kara's arm, and almost fell over. "And thank you for everything…thank you for saving me…..all of those times you saved me."

Kara almost said it wasn't a problem, but remembered she still played coy about the entire Supergirl thing. Cat responded by kissing Kara full on the lips. The eager blonde wrapped her arms around Kara's neck and kissed her.

Given Cat was far from the first drunken blonde who tried to jump Kara's bones, Kara rolled with the punches and kissed her lips in response. Kara backed Cat into the next room, parking her down on the bed.

"You know, I think I might have some dessert right here…do you think you can help me with my skirt?"

"Gladly."

Kara reached down and slowly pulled up Cat's dress, to reveal the treasure underneath.

* * *

Kara sat up on the bed, smiling at Cat, who looked to be a drooling, but smiling wreck after Kara got done with her. Kara reached over into her bag and noticed her communicator lighting up. Reaching down, Kara slipped the headset on.

"Yeah, Chloe?"

"Sorry if I interrupted anything," Chloe said.

"No, I just polished off Cat," Kara said.

Chloe chuckled before going serious.

"Yeah, I figured as much, she undresses you with her eyes every time you come into the office," Chloe said. "But, I found something interesting, from one of my sources in the government."

"Yes?" Kara asked.

"It seems like not all of the White Martians were banished after the Invasion."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on February 19** **th** **, 2016.**


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter Fifty-Three: Stranded:**

* * *

 ****The moment Kara tucked Cat into bed, she moved outside of the hallway at a quickening pace. Chloe's news stirred up a lot of past memories within her. The Girl of Steel wondered what the hell went on. Chloe dug up some interesting information, although there were a lot of holes in the interesting information. Holes which Kara would have liked to fill and find out even more about.

The blonde made her way down a set of stairs and turned the corner. She continued towards a service elevator, making her way down to the next floor.

"So is it safe to speak to you?" Chloe asked.

"Yes," Kara said. She leaned against the wall, ready to go at a moment's notice. "You're saying one of the white Martians are on Earth still? After the Invasion? I thought we banished them all?"

Kara figured out a long time ago what she thought happened and what did happen ended up being two different things.

"Apparently not," Chloe said. "You know all about the civil war between the Green and the White Martians. I'm not sure why it happened; I don't think anyone is sure why it happened. Reasons likely."

"Yes, and the Greens were pretty much decimated by the White Martians," Kara said. "Then, the Whites suffered a few hits. The Planet of Mars had been rendered inhabitable for the Martians. All of them."

"Irony is a bitch sometimes, isn't it?" Chloe asked. Kara left Cat's apartment building and ducked into an alleyway. "But, not so much when they come here to try and conqueror Earth. They weren't the first to try it."

Kara groaned, no of course they weren't the first. Alien races found Earth to be an interesting planet worthy of conquest many times over. The Girl of Steel recalled alien races using Earth as a rest stop.

"The White Martians were the most prolific with their invasion."

"Prolific, yes," Chloe said. "One of them replaced the President. You knew something weird happened when his decisions were actually competent….after an entire term of being mediocre at best."

Kara decided to smile. Politicians the universe over seldom deviated from their levels of incompetence, but this fact was not a rabbit hole she wanted to jump down. She quickened the pace and came out dressed in her Supergirl costume.

"But, the League was formed to combat this one," Kara said. "Much more innocent times then."

"Yes," Chloe said. Her tone sounded fairly serious and somber, for obvious reasons. "Claire and Diana rallied the troops and formed the League. It was a good couple of years."

"Then everything went bad," Kara said.

Kara kicked up into the air and made the short distance away from the Penthouse. Someone targeted the League, picking apart their members. Some suffered horrific demises. Other members of the League just had been ripped apart. Perhaps a super hero cooperative effort was doomed to fail in the end. The League had a couple of pretty independent personalities.

"A cooperative effort of heroes was a good idea in theory," Chloe said. Kara nodded. "Although there might have been a lot of problems with it from the get go."

"Well, we can't worry about the past."

"I know, but maybe we can learn from it," Chloe said. "Still, the White Martian captive is an interesting one. Is she benign or is she dangerous?"

"I don't know," Kara said.

Kara didn't want to tar all alien races by the same brush. Most of the Kryptonian survivors she encountered had not been the friendliest or the most tolerant towards humanity. If Kara judged them on the same brush, her race would be a pretty awful one.

 _'I know humanity may have passed judgement on them by the actions of a few.'_

Kara didn't really say anything.

"Someone busted her out," Chloe said. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid…but the fact someone busted her out worries me just a little bit. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Just a little bit," Kara admitted. "Do you think there might have been more White Martians hiding among us?"

Chloe hitched in her breath. Kara noticed from her vocal inflection straight away Chloe thought the White Martians attacking would be a real possibility and a really dangerous possibility as well.

"I don't know if they're preparing for an Invasion," Chloe said.

"I'm more concerned with what the government intended to do with a White Martian in captive," Kara said.

Chloe thought it was a fair enough question and they hoped to have any answers. Regardless, Kara returned to Chloe's apartment, so the two of them could put their heads together. Hopefully in due time they could come up with some answers. As of now, both of them ran around in circles, chasing false leads.

Kara did not like to be running around in circles at all. She hated not having the answers. These days Kara found herself not liking a lot because of the lack of answers.

* * *

The Metropolis Airport allowed flights to come in from several major cities in the country. So naturally, the airport looked to be the bustling center of commerce, with hurried people getting off flights and getting on flights, cursing the necessity of airport security for holding them up.

A striking redhead beauty exited the plane. Her crimson red hair flowed between her shoulders. The woman looked to be in her late thirties, although maintained the beauty expected of a younger woman. She dressed in a pair of sunglasses which covered her green eyes. She wore a black and red blouse, a black jacket, and a flowing red skirt, along with high heel boots.

Marie Logan starred in the 1980s cult classic, Hello Megan. Granted, the show only lasted one season of about twenty two episodes, and while she had fond memories of doing the show, Marie felt it typecasted her roles for at least the next decade. She managed to gain more notoriety through her activist work, even if there was a small and devoted fanbase for her old work. Marie learned to embrace those fans. The DVD market brought the show back to new eyes, even if Marie had to laugh at the production budget the show got.

 _'Truly a product of the eighties.'_

Another young woman made her way off of the plane. She looked a bit nervous. The woman looked like she could be Marie's stunt double, or maybe her younger sister. She dressed in black and red like her other charge.

"Don't be nervous, Megan," Marie said. "Just act natural, and no one has any reason to suspect anything."

After being trapped what seemed like forever by these Cadmus people, Megan experienced a healthy dose of paranoia. They didn't seem to realize she had been a prisoner of the White Martians.

Marie placed her hand on Megan's shoulder in an attempt to calm the younger girl down. The younger girl relaxed her posture ever so slightly.

"Don't worry, I have a friend in Metropolis who can help us…get where we need to go."

Megan took Marie's word for it. The younger girl appreciated the help she received and looked up to the older woman in many respects. Megan closed her eyes, allowing herself to try to calm herself down.

Marie thought they would be almost home free. A group of uniformed agents made their way in, and talked to one of the airport security guards.

 _'No, there's no way they could have found us.'_

Marie tried to act natural. Megan hitched in a deep breath and the government agents walked up towards them.

"Come with us quietly and there's no need for anyone to get hurt."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Marie said. "We didn't do anything, this is just a mistake."

"You Martians think you're pretty clever, but we're one step ahead of you," one of the government agents said. He aimed what looked to be a flamethrower at them.

"Please, we didn't….we didn't hurt anyone…why are you…"

One of the government agents, a little trigger happy, fired the flamethrower at Megan and Marie. The two redheads scattered in two different directions. The people around them became terrified as well.

"Look, you're scaring innocent civilians," Marie said.

"It's all collateral, alien."

Marie looked up in the sky suddenly when a sonic boom filled her ears. She wondered what the hell was going on.

It wasn't a bird, it wasn't a plane; it was Supergirl! Supergirl flew over and the government agents focused their attention towards her. The Girl of Steel hoisted one of the government goons off of the ground and hurled him down to the ground!

The other government goons tried to nail Supergirl with flame throwers. The Girl of Steel dodged the flamethrowers and fired heat vision at both of them.

"Oh, not so hard now when the heat's on you!" Supergirl yelled. She brought down the heat on them further with a double sledge, dropping the goons to their knees.

Kara knocked them against the wall and turned towards Marie and Megan.

"There will be more," Kara said. She reached out and scooped them out. "There will always be more."

Kara trafficked them out of there as fast as she could. She would need to figure out how to proceed from there.

"Well, I found my fearsome White Martian and her accomplice," Kara said. The two of them made their way past the Penthouse.

Kara set them down on the ground and allowed them to stagger forward. Megan collapsed on the couch. Kara moved over to activate the security panel.

"This place has some pretty tough security for a Penthouse, doesn't it?" Marie asked.

"It belonged to Helena Wayne."

Marie nodded; it made sense now why a simple Penthouse would have a few surprises to deter attackers.

* * *

Kara made her way to the kitchen and returned with a tray of Oreos and some milk for the two Martians.

"You are prepared for our arrival," Marie said, smiling.

"Helena always kept a stock of Oreos, apparently, because you never knew when a wayward Martian was going to come by," Kara said. The crazy preparedness of the Waynes hit a legendary and dare she say it, almost terrifying, level. This was a constant reminder. "M'rie, it's been a long time…..I thought you were dead. Because the last time I saw you…"

Marie took a bite out of the Oreo, savoring the goodness.

"You better take some….Megan, isn't it?"

"Technically M'gann…but yeah, Megan, when I'm in a human form," Megan said.

"Well, Megan, you better take some before Marie hogs them all. Or takes your arm off trying to get at them."

Marie fired one of those looks towards Kara, who smiled.

"To answer your question," Marie said. "After I suffered my injuries, I made my way into stasis to heal. I had only woken up at the sounds of distress from a young Martian."

"So, you're the White Martian?" Kara asked.

"It's complicated."

"Well, just take your time and explain it," Kara said.

Kara watched the young Martian take a deep breath before launching into her explanation.

"I'm half and half, father was white, mother was green, and they pissed off both of their races by having an affair with each other," M'gann said. "You can just imagine how they reacted to me….a few people looked past what I was. Many thought of me as some kind of genetic abomination which shouldn't be."

Kara wrapped her arms around M'gann in a hug.

"Don't worry, I understand," Kara said.

As a Kryptonian born through a natural birth, Kara had her fair share of looks given by people who regarded her as something which shouldn't be. Kryptonians were to be bred through a birthing matrix, with the best genetics from both mother and father given. They were to be bred for a purpose, to serve a role in society.

Kara's fierce independence towards predetermined roles caused her to be scrutinized by her fellow Kryptonians. Alura commented Kara received those attributes from her father. Kara didn't see it, because Zor-El looked to be the type who towed the line. Perhaps he mellowed out in his older years though, after Kara had been born.

"Kara's a natural born Kryptonian," Marie said.

Megan gasped in thinly disguised awe.

"She….I'm surprised they didn't banish you into the Phantom Zone," Megan said.

"I am too…but my mother is a respected scientist and she had a lot of clout," Kara said.

Kara thought about the time on Krypton and all of what happened. The wheels fell apart even before she had been born. The Council tried to compensate for all of the problems which happened by exerting an insane amount of control voer the people on her planet.

"Do you think I can speak to Claire?" Marie asked. Kara swung her head a bit towards Marie. "Because, we can really use Superwoman's help right now."

Kara's expression turned a bit sour and a bit surly. She reminded herself there was no way Marie could have known.

"You must have been asleep for longer than I realized," Kara said. "Claire lost her powers to gold Kryptonite…in a battle with Luthor. She's not been Superwoman in almost a year."

Marie whistled, talk about bad news. She wondered how much could have happened in the past two years. A feeling of despair sunk down into the pit of the disguised Martian's stomach.

"So, Diana's leading the League, now?"

Kara shook her head in response.

"There is no Justice League," Kara said. "Everything fell apart….around the time Claire lost her powers. It was on shaky ground to begin with. But I think Claire losing her powers is the straw which broke the camel's back."

Marie allowed everything to settle in. Talk about being asleep for a long time and a lot had changed. Her entire worldview flipped on its head and she wasn't sure if she liked being in a position where her world view had been so skewed and turned topsy-turvy.

"I don't know what to say," Marie said.

"I don't think any of us did," Kara said. "But, Batman is dead, the original Green Arrow is dead. Zatara had been killed in a home invasion. Aquaman had been brutalized defending his kingdom. Hawkgirl had her wings clipped….not killed, but just grounded. Flash vanished into the speed force. Claire lost her powers, and I almost did."

Marie blinked to allow Claire's tone to go through.

"Almost?" Marie asked.

"Long story," Kara said. "But I'm not worry about mourning over past friends, rather I'm worried about these government agents stalking you and Megan."

Kara rolled a palm scanner device over Megan.

"Just as I thought, there was a miniature tracking device implemented in the back of her neck."

"It means….they're going to find me here, aren't they?" Megan asked.

"No, Helena has dampening devices which block any attempts to track," Kara said. Marie looked at Kara with a shadow of a smile. "All of her secret bases have them."

"Of course they do," Marie said. She didn't expect anything less from Helena Wayne.

"I can also get the device out of you….but…you're going to hate me….because I know how much Martians hate fire."

Megan flinched for a second.

"I don't want them chasing me…do what you have to do."

"Hold still."

Marie grabbed Megan's hand, and squeezed it for reassurance. Kara understood the precise shot she had, but she had made more precise.

* * *

Amanda Waller returned to her office, having been freed from her cell. Despite the fact the captive had been let out of her containment, Waller looked like an extremely calm woman. The people working her dared not comment on this. After all, who would want to ruin their good fortune when Amanda Waller looked to be in a good mood?

"Director Waller, we have a problem."

"Report," Waller said.

"We tracked the alien to an airport…but Supergirl showed up," the man over the other end of the communication device said. "I'm afraid she's….well she managed to get them away. We tried to track the alien…but the tracker went dead."

"This is inconceivable," Waller said. Sudden realization hit the woman. "Unless, the Martian had been taken behind a dampening field….and the Kryptonian has resources to block my tracking modules….and she must have removed it by now. I should have foreseen this better."

"M'am, are…what do you want us to do?" the man on the other end asked.

He didn't want to complain Waller wasn't yelling at him.

"What do you think you should do?" Waller asked. The man stopped and stammered for a long while with Waller waiting for him to be silent. "Never mind, just keep searching. Supergirl is bound to investigate what is going on. You won't have to find her, she'll find you, and….I trust you will do a better job this time."

"Yes, Director Waller, of course."

Amanda Waller leaned back on the chair, allowing a frown to be fixed over her face. Good help came across so poorly in this day and age. The only thing which satisfied the director of ARGUS, and their sub-section, the Cadmus facility, was Supergirl didn't know what she got into.

The element which displeased her was the fact they couldn't figure out to get the Martian ship open. Waller thought it would be something they would have to take a closer look at.

Regardless, with Supergirl active, it would not be too much longer before the remaining members of the Justice League showed up. Waller reached in and picked up the phone.

"Report on their status."

"They're coming along about as planned," the man on the other end of the phone said. "Quinzel and Willis are at each other's throats still, but we have them separated. And they will learn to play ball."

"Make sure to tighten the leash you have on them if necessary," Waller said. "I believe we can bring them out of training and prepare them for a more practical mission."

"M'am, are you sure this is wise?" the man on the other end. "I know some of them are well trained, but…."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Waller said curtly. "With the Martian awake, there is only a matter of time before the Justice League gets back together. We can stop them before they ever start."

"Of course, I'll send the word….."

"Tell them I will join them within the next sixty minutes."

"It will be done, Director Waller."

Waller made her way out of the office and paused. She activated a secret doorway and stepped inside.

"The resources you have given me will make my plan move around much easier."

The figure gave Waller a disgusted look from the shadows. No sooner did the look fade from the person's face, the woman closed the door behind her, walking off.

* * *

Harley sat on one side, giving Livewire a scowling expression. The woman started making faces.

"Alright, that's enough."

A dark haired man wearing a high tech high patch stepped in. He dressed in a red and black tactical bodysuit. He held a gun.

"You two wouldn't be the first two crazy bitches I had to shoot, so you better knock it off, and get in line," the man said. His gaze looked towards them.

Harley and Livewire started to protest his words.

"You don't…."

A dark haired man wearing glasses and a green suit stepped inside and shook his head. Edward Nygma, better known as the Riddler, hung his head. He carried a cane which contained a green question mark on the handle.

"We're all one big happy family, aren't we?" Enigma asked. "We're already at each other's throats….."

"Just worry about getting us the intelligence, and we'll go from there."

"Of course, Deadshot."

A dark haired man dressed in a blue bodysuit and holding a boomerang in his hand stepped inside. Captain Boomerang stood back against the wall.

"This entire mess is a bunch of bloody crazy people," Boomerang said. The man leaned forward and coughed for a moment. "Even if they do know how to recruit."

A redheaded vixen slipped into the room. She dressed in tight red pants which fit around her body and a tighter red top which also fit around her body. Her hips swayed from one side to the other as she sashayed in with a prominent smile on her face. A redhead woman with furry skin like a Cheetah, dressed in a tight black top and black pants, with razor sharp claws.

"Good, Plastique and Cheetah finally decided to show up," Deadshot said. "We can get this show on the road."

"Alright, everyone listen up."

When Amanda Waller talked, people listened. Boomerang knew the women longer than the rest of the Squad. He only had another year to work off on his little contract. It sure beat having prison food.

"We have a runaway Martian we need to track down….and Supergirl helped her."

"Oooh, we finally get to fight someone, and it's Supergirl!" Livewire cheered. "Good, I've been ready to make the little bitch fry!"

Harley really wished she had her mallet right now.

"You know you're mission…reclaim the Martian. The reasons of which are classified."

"Of course, we understand," Enigma said. "I have all of the information you'll need when you head into Metropolis….stick with the plan."

"Don't worry, I've got a little surprise for Supergirl," Deadshot said.

"Oh, is it a Kryptonite bullet?" Harley asked.

"Something far more sophisticate than that," Deadshot said.

"Are you sure you can handle that big thing?" Harley asked.

"Darling, you should have a moment alone with me, and I'll show you how I handle my gun."

Captain Boomerang took a moment to lock eyes with Plastique. She turned away, folding her arms.

"Just keep the way clear for me, so I can take the shot."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on February 23** **rd** **, 2016.**


	54. Unholy Alliance Part One

Week Seven Poll is up. Link in profile. Go vote. Thanks, bye.

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Four: Unholy Alliance Part One.**

* * *

"After a few months on the shelf, I am back baby! Back on the airwaves and I'm sure none of you could be any more happier. Yes, Livewire is back in town, and I have to say, I'm sure most of you were lacking culture and excitement for as long as I was off of the airwaves. There's no need to fear though. I'll be back and I have a few things to say about Supergirl!"

Speaking of Supergirl, she flew over the streets of Metropolis. The moment Livewire came over pretty much every radio station in Metropolis, she jumped completely back into action. The Girl of Steel hung her head down and tried to not focus on the voice pounding in the back of her head. She needed to get to the bottom of the conspiracy regarding this alien group.

"Gone, she was gone, and it was so peaceful," Barbara said. "But, I don't think anyone could have forgotten Livewire, no matter how much any of us wanted to try."

Kara agreed one hundred percent of the way. Livewire had a way of working her way into the minds of the people she listened to. Her voice penetrated the mind of everyone like a little bit razor blade, twisting and contorting the minds.

"I'm sure some of you think she's a hero. Some of you are blinded by the true nature, the cruel nature, of this complete and total madwoman! She is completely and utterly insane!"

"Someone hasn't taken too long of a look in the mirror," Barbara commented over the head-set. The woman answered with a sigh and she smiled deeply. "So, anyway, I think I have a pretty good idea where Livewire is holing herself up….if you want to know."

"Well, I have to know," Kara said.

"Right, of course," Barbara said. She pinched the bridge her nose for a few seconds. One quick check of these coordinates and Barbara fired them out. "She's at the west side of the city, in one of the old LuthorCorp broadcasting towers. After Lex bought the big one, it's been abandoned."

Kara began to take in a deep breath and punctuated said agitation with a sigh.

"Which makes it perfect for a drama queen like Willis," Kara said.

"Do you think Livewire might want you to find her?" Barbara asked. The long pause caused Barbara to become very unsettled. "I know. Pretty stupid question. I just had to ask."

Kara hung her head down and frowned. Obvious she walked into the trap. The Girl of Steel needed to go and see what was up with Livewire.

"I'm sure Supergirl is on her way here to shut me down right now! I say let her come! LET HER COME! She's not taking me down again! I'm not going down! I REFUSE TO! She can't silence me!"

Supergirl shook her head. The woman really needed a muzzle at the very least. Whatever therapy she received when locked behind bars didn't taken well. Supergirl double checked Oracle's coordinates and kept flying.

Deadshot waited patiently at the tower across from the abandoned LuthorCorp broadcasting tower. The sounds of Livewire's voice fired over pretty much every channel.

 _'I really wish I could use one of these bullets on her, put it in her head.'_

Deadshot drummed his finger on the side of the gun. As much as he would like to take down Livewire, Deadshot understood the job he had to do. The sonic boom which erupted on the other end caused Deadshot's head to lift off.

 _'And here comes our Kryptonian….time to say goodnight.'_

Deadshot only had one clear shot at his adversary. The expert marksman locked his gun and fired one bullet. The bullet soured out.

Kara made her way to fight Livewire. Her single minded focus on Livewire caused her to continue to go forward. Only to receive a bullet to the cheek.

The bullet didn't penetrate Kara. The shell exploded on impact to release a cloud of red dust which covered Kara.

"What just happened?" Barbara asked. "Are you alright Kara?"

"I'm….I can barely….oh Rao."

Kara tried to hold her head up high above the ground to maintain a flight pattern. Only her flight pattern became a bit more jagged.

"Finally!" Livewire yelled. She watched Supergirl continue to fly in mid-air in a zagged pattern. She barely held herself up. "Time to get you…"

"You're done, Livewire, report back to base," Enigma said.

"I beg your pardon!" Livewire yelled. "I have her dead to rights, there's no way…"

"Stick to the plan."

Livewire tried to protest this order. A charge bombarded her which caused the woman's legs to begin to buckle underneath her. She screamed at the top of her lungs with the stabbing sensation going throughout her body. Agony followed seconds later when she dropped down to her knees. The wind had been struck out of her body. The woman closed her eyes, unable to believe what followed.

"You won't be warned again."

Supergirl almost fell down to the ground like a feather falling to Earth. At the last second, Wondergirl came out of nowhere, and caught Supergirl in her arms. The two descended to Earth.

Kara regained her bearings for a second. Donna rushed her back to a safe house.

"Good thing you got there when you did," Barbara said. "The Anti-Vigilante Task Force is on their way."

Kara knew their budget had been slashed from the death of the ex-Mayor at the hands of the Joker. Still they existed, barely, and they had ran over Kara's toes a few times in the past.

"The mist he sprayed you with," Donna said. She scanned Kara's skin. "It creates a filter around your skin. The yellow solar radiation is filtered into red."

"Pretty impressive," Kara said. She also had many questions as to why some human would have had the ability to create such a thing.

"It's slowly wearing off, it was only temporary," Donna said. "He could have put a real bullet in your head, but he didn't."

Kara received many questions as to why Deadshot didn't take her out and no real answers. Something about this just wasn't right.

* * *

Livewire wound herself tighter than a cheap watch. The woman started to wring her hands back and forth. Harley turned towards Livewire and raised an eyebrow. The woman became more and more disgusted just by hearing the sound of Livewire's voice.

"Switch to decaf!" Harley yelled.

Livewire ignored Harley and turned around towards Enigma. The members of the Suicide Squad set up shop in what seemed to be an abandoned Ice Cream truck at the side of the road in Metropolis. From the exterior anyway. The interior of the truck contained lots of high tech equipment.

Livewire's rage bubbled over to the service and almost exploded.

"I could have fried her in half of a second!" Livewire yelled. "She would have been done! WHY DID YOU STOP ME?"

"Get ahold of yourself," Enigma said. "Petty revenge isn't the agenda of this team, and given how well we have it together right now, I use the term team rather loosely. You need to cease your obsession with Supergirl and focus on the mission we have. She will lead us to the Martian."

"Yeah, Martian, I don't really give a damn about some Martian!"

Livewire's pouty expression didn't endear her with the team.

"Well, you better," Enigma said. "You felt Waller's warning shot. The next one, she won't pull her punches on."

"Yes," Plastique said. The woman very rarely spoke. "There have been other members of this Squad in the past, and….they haven't fared well….Waller needed to sanction them."

Livewire turned her head around.

"At least I'm not the one who has to leave riddles lying around to mask my unresolved sexual tension for some Bat," Livewire said. Her glowing eyes fixed on Enigma. "In a hope he finally recognizes me as an equal, something which will never happen by the way! Because you're pretty delusional in this way!"

"I fail to see what this has to do with your poor conduct as part of this….."

"Argh!" Boomerang yelled. "I didn't sign up for this circus act."

"Well, none of us really signed up for this," Cheetah said. "We had been forced into doing so."

"I'm going to give you all one warning. You better get it together and focus on the mission."

The commanding voice of Amanda Waller spoke and people listened when she spoke.

"If Deadshot's bullet worked, Supergirl will not have any powers for eight hours," Waller said. "But, it's not all we slipped into the bullet."

"A small micro-scopic tracking device," Enigma said. The man looked giddy and bounced up and down like an overgrown schoolboy. "More powerful than pretty much anything we've ever used. And certainly more powerful than the Martian."

"Still think it would have been easier if you just let me fry her!" Livewire yelled. She rubbed her fingers together.

"Yeah, because you did so well the last time when you went up against her," Harley said. "You couldn't hit a moving target if it had a bullseye on its back."

"You're just a jealous bitch because the Joker cared more about Batman than he did about you!"

"How dare you talk about my puddin' to my face, why I ought to….."

"Ladies, enough."

Waller's two words brought them back into line, at least somewhat. Boomerang lost the draw of the straws and had been put in the middle of this mess.

"I'm not about to lose sight of what is important," Waller said. "The ship I have in my possession could offer the answers we've been seeking. Supergirl will not stand in our way."

"I'm accessing the tracker right now," Enigma said. "She's on the move….this can't be right, can it?"

"What?" Livewire asked. Despite her bubbling anger at the entire situation, the woman's curiosity got the better of her.

"She's heading North," Enigma said. "In fact, she's heading in the direction of the North Pole."

"Superwoman's Fortress," Cheetah said. She smiled. "And give she's been out of the picture thanks to Luthor….."

"Supergirl must be hiding the Martian there," Enigma said. He leaned back. "We're going to need to take a side trip, gentlemen and ladies."

"Drive North to a hanger….everything you need for a trip to the Fortress of Solitude will be presented to you."

Enigma didn't want to be the one to bring up the obvious point, but Waller almost expected.

"It's going to be a long flight," Enigma said.

"The state of the art jet we have will make it shorter," Waller said. "And you now have your second mission. Claim the Fortress of Solitude and the technology inside."

Some of the members of the Suicide Squad looked at each other nervously. Why did they think this second mission seemed to be more like a suicide mission?

 _'Then again,'_ Enigma thought. He was certain his thoughts reflected the other members of his team as well. _'We have been dubbed accurately.'  
_ X-X-X  
Donna cradled Kara in her arms as the Amazon flew to the Fortress of Solitude. Kara wondered about why Livewire stopped to take a shot at her. The Fortress should be able to get to the bottom of what she had been shot with, at least Kara hoped.

"Why didn't Livewire fry you?" Barbara asked. "I'm not complaining, I'm just making an observation, wondering why she didn't take the final shot."

"Good question," Kara said. "From what I can say, she didn't seem too happy about it."

"Guess she should be used to dealing with someone producing her actions," Donna said.

The two of them slipped into the side entrance of the Fortress of Solitude. Kara looked down and stepped inside.

"Aunt Lara, I had an accident," Kara said. "Someone shot me with a bullet. I was covered by a red mist which blocked my powers. For about eight hours by her estimination."

"And you think there's something more to the bullet than meets the eye," Lara said. "Just sit back and I'll scan you."

Donna sat back in the Fortress. The young Amazon Princess did worry about how hard Kara had bene pushing herself as of late. The vacation only had been a momentary diversion.

 _'And to be fair, the vacation wasn't a vacation with trouble showing up at the island.'_

Regardless, Kara sat down to be scanned by Lara. The Girl of Steel closed her eyes and allowed the power of the scanner device to be shifted over her.

"So, was Donna's theory right?" Kara asked.

"Yes," Lara said. "You should be able to get your powers back in around eight hours, give or take a few hours. And…there's something else."

"What?" Kara asked.

"There's a small tracking device they embedded inside of you," Lara said. She brought it up on the scanner device. "Fortuntaely, it's a simple surgery…but it's more powerful the one they placed in M'gann."

"It means…they could track me to the Fortress," Kara said.

"Well, a lot of people have a good idea where the Fortress is, thanks to Lex," Lara said. The woman sounded rather despondent at the fact. She thought they should move the Fortress to some place a bit more pleasant than the Arctic, but it was too much of a pain to just pack up and move everything. "And I have the tracking device out of you."

"It's not the problem," Kara said. "If they started to track me, they would have seen me flying North. If the person behind this operation does their homework….."

"Considering it's Waller, she has a file put together about you," Barbara chimed in. "Sorry to be the person who brings everything down, but you know."

"Yes, I know," Kara said. Barbara always had been the more practical one out of their group. "I just wish I knew why they took a shot at me and ran off. Livewire could have fried me."

"You're complaining?" Barbara asked. Kara responded with a long sigh. "You know, maybe you're not the target."

"She's right, you're not."

Donna turned around in an intense battle stance. She was ready to attack and defend Kara with her life. The two of them watched as Alexandra Evans stepped into the Fortress.

"Well, the design is not what I would have done," Alia said. She smiled and looked towards Kara. "I heard about the shot….I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine," Kara said. "I'd be a little bit better if I knew how exactly you entered the Fortress."

"Well, good question," Alia said. The calm and collected nature of her voice caused Kara to tense up. "I was let in by the owner of the Fortress."

Claire stepped into the Fortress. She dressed in a casual black jacket, a black blouse, and jeans. She looked far different from the farmer's daughter she used to be her civilian identity.

"Hello, Claire," Lara said.

"Mother," Claire said. "I'm sorry I didn't visit before all of this time."

Mother and daughter had a moment with each other and the moment had been filled with enough tension you could cut with a knife. There were some things which couldn't be said.

"My sources within the government have discovered why they are after this White Martian, or why they held her captive," Alia said.

"And?" Kara asked.

Alia noticed Kara's voice seemed cooler than the actual Arctic. Perhaps she should have warned Kara she was going to show up at the Fortress uninvited, but time happened to be of the essence. So Alia didn't have any time to be polite.

"ARGUS has in their possession an alien ship left over from the invasion," Alia said.

Kara barely stifled her groan. Any kind of alien ship being left over from an alien invasion rarely became good. And the government messing with things they shouldn't be, even less good.

"ARGUS is playing with some heavy fire messing with this alien technology," Kara said.

"And most certainly they are," Alia said. "It's not just that….Waller is acting strangely as of late. My sources in the agency have noticed she's changing the way she does things."

Kara wondered if the pressures of the job finally got to Amanda Waller. Desperation can do some strange things to people.

"Mother, I'm nearly close to a break through….well, we're nearly close to a break through," Claire said. Lara perked up with some interest. "I might be able to get my powers back."

"Remember, Claire, if it's what you want, I'll support you," Lara said. "But, the more tests I run, the more I fear there's going to be a grave cost…"

Lara's warning faded by the Fortress's early warning system. Kara made her way over to the Fortress. Donna followed her.

"You know, you're really in no condition to fight," Donna said.

"I just have my powers stripped," Kara said. She opened up a glass case in the Fortress. "I'm not completely inept without them."

Claire nodded approvingly. Alia warned her this might happen, the Suicide Squad would find the Fortress. Fortunately, there were a few automated defenses.

* * *

Harley's teeth chattered when she joined the rest of the team.

"Really wish I would have brought my Parka out here," Harley said.

"Switch on the belt for your armor, it generates heat," Enigma said.

Harley wondered why she didn't think of it.

"Right, thanks, Ed!" Harley said. "Still, Superwoman couldn't have put her Fortress on some kind of tropical island? Why did she have to put it in the middle of nowhere?"

"Maybe it's to discourage people like us from coming here?" Deadshot dead panned. He loaded up his gun and prepared to go. "She would have stored the Martian in the middle of nowhere."

"And Waller wants us to take the Fortress?" Boomerang asked. "The blooming bitch must be out of her bloody mind!"

"I wouldn't talk about Waller, too loudly, Boomerang," Cheetah said.

"Who cares if she's out of her mind?" Livewire asked. She lit up in excitement, a grin spreading over her face. "Any chance to cause havoc and wreck Superwoman's playhouse is good enough for me!"

Harley about said something, but Waller came in. Her voice sounded more distorted.

"You are to secure the Fortress. Even at the costs of your lives."

The sounds of grumbling came from the entire group.

"Hey, I think you might be taking this entire Suicide Squad thing a little bit too….well literal," Harley said.

A buzzing went in the back of her head. Harley almost dropped to her knees. The other members of the Suicide Squad dropped to their knees as well.

"The bloody….she's going to blow up our heads…thanks a lot Quinn!"

Harley's eyes rolled into the back of her head. The other members of the Suicide Squad followed suit. All of them looked to be possessed by some kind of demonic entity.

"For efficiency, your free will has been stripped from you."

Had the Suicide Squad had their wits about themselves, they would have noticed Waller's voice turned more robotic, more monotone, and more lifeless. They didn't have their wits about themselves and they stormed the Fortress ready to go.

* * *

M'gann returned to the same facility she had been held captive for a very long time, years in fact. One might consider what she did as suicidal and they would be completely correct. M'gann didn't care at this point. She needed to get inside, and she needed get to her ship.

Two of the guards made their way down the wall. M'gann slipped into the wall behind them and waited for them to pass. The moment they walked passed she made her move.

The Martian Hybrid reached through the wall to grab her adversary around the neck. The guard grimaced when M'gann grabbed her. She pulled the guard into the wall and smacked him head first into the wall. The figure slipped out of the wall. The another guard turned around.

"The Martian is here…seal all…."

A third guard stepped behind to jam the second guard in the chest with a stun gun! The guard slumped down on the ground.

"M'gann, what were you thinking?"

M'gann understood who the third guard was.

"I….I need to get the ship, before they open it up," M'gann said. "If anyone, but a Martian opens the ship up, bad things are going to happen."

M'rie answered with a swift nod, but she stopped. A muffled sound came from behind a closet door. M'rie frowned and walked up a set of stairs.

"Waller's office is up there," M'gann said. "What's wrong?"

"Someone is being held captive up in Waller's office."

M'gann frowned, but she didn't seem too surprised. M'rie opened up the office door. She reached around on the wall and found a switch.

 _'Wow, she's amazing.'_

The door opened up and what was on the other side caused M'gann's fangirling to stop abruptly.

Amanda Waller sat on the other side of the door, with a surlier look on her face than normal. She had been imprisoned and gagged. M'rie reached forward and removed the gag.

"Need to warn Supergirl," Waller said. It looked like it hurt her to speak. "One of my agents accidentally activated a device….which had been infected by Brainiac."

M'rie stood up at the news of one of the most dangerous enemies of the Justice League. One they thought to be long since destroyed. With Brainiac though, you could never be for sure.

"And he's taken over ARGUS," Waller said.

M'rie knew what she needed to do instantly.

 _'Kara we have a problem,'_ M'rie thought.

 _'I know, the Fortress is under attack.'_

* * *

 **To Be Continued on February 26** **th** **, 2016.**


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter Fifty-Five: Unholy Alliance Part Two:**

* * *

 ****Confusion struck Kara with all of the force of a blunt hammer. The Girl of Steel had no idea what to make of the insanity which transpired. A few seconds passed before Kara could get it together. Kara made her way over to take a look at the security system in the Fortress of Solitude.

"We are under attack," Lara said. "They shouldn't have been able to breach the external defenses of the Fortress."

"They shouldn't," Claire agreed. The young woman let the thought hang for a moment. "With Brainiac, they have a chance though. I thought he was gone for good."

There was something about this statement which made Claire feel rather foolish for even considering it to be a possibility.

"So did I," Kara said. The Girl of Steel shook her head when she realized something. "But, even if we wiped out every single bit of his programming, we should have known better. Someone like Brainiac would have left more than a few copies around."

Kara recalled every single battle with Brainiac with utter clarity. How could the Girl of Steel ever forget these battles? They haunted her memories with great clarity and tormented her. Brainiac contributed to the death of Krypton. The computer wasn't the sole reason for the planet dying. Still he played a huge part in the destruction of her home.

Guilt also racked Kara. Her mother created the source programming for Brainiac. While the Council ran away with the source programming and turned it into a means to monitor the planet, the initial idea still laid with Alura and her initial ideas.

"I'm putting up more defense protocols," Lara said. "Brainiac being involved means they have a single minded objective."

Lara understood all about the dangers Brainiac brought to the table. The more the advanced Artificial Intelligence brought on, the more he brought on a life of his own. She understood his only quest was knowledge. Any regard for life faded in a matter of seconds.

"It's not the only thing," Alia said. "The Fortress has a portal to the Phantom Zone."

Kara almost forgot Alia entered the Fortress. The point they had a portal to one of the most dangerous prisons in the universe deep inside the Fortress hit Kara. The most dangerous and prominent prisoner inside the Phantom Zone had ties to Brainiac and the two had worked together in the past.

"Yes," Lara said. "And Brainiac intends to free his master from his prison."

"We won't let him do it," Kara said.

"I appreciate your determination," Alia said. Kara frowned and Alia reached forward. She touched her hand to Kara's shoulder. "But, your success rate against Brainiac has been rather mixed in the past."

Kara gave Alia one of the longest looks possible. If looks could kill and considering she had heat vision, they could, Alia would be six feet under. Alia didn't seem to be too bothered by the fact Kara stared daggers at her.

Donna put a hand on Kara's shoulder to prevent her from freaking out too much. Kara relaxed under the grip of her friend.

"We just need a good enough plan to take him down," Barbara said. "And….I'm not sure what it would be. If we can only find the prime copy."

Kara opened her mouth for a second. She racked her mind. It did sound like a good idea, but would any of them go for it?"

"Your friend does have the beginnings of a good idea," Alia said. She brushed the strands of hair away from her face. "The corruption began at the Source. Your mother's code had a couple of flaws in it….."

"My mother's code wasn't flawed!" Kara snapped.

The longest and coldest moment followed. Donna shook her head. Alia once again didn't seem to be too bothered by Kara's outburst.

"If it wasn't, then would the Council have had a chance to pick it apart and make it work the way they wished it to?" Alia asked. Coolness spread over her voice. Kara didn't have an answer to the question. The Girl of Steel slid back and kept her arms folded. "She wrote something more advanced than anything on Krypton. There are bound to be flaws and mistakes."

The cold snap in the Arctic wasn't the only chill which went through the Fortress. How dare this woman judge her mother? Her mother sacrificed her life to try and protect the Argo colony. It was all for nothing, but the sacrifice was still there. Alura carried the guilt to her grave regarding Braniac.

"Alura would be the first to admit she isn't perfect, Kara," Lara said.

"We need to put the Fortress on complete lockdown," Claire said. "And to do that, we need to leave it."

Kara trusted Claire's judgement even if it had not been the best as of late.

"I agree," Lara said.

Kara, Donna, Alia, and Claire all left the Fortress. The moment Alia and Claire left, Donna turned towards Kara.

"Do you think you two could tone down you unresolved sexual tension just a little bit? It's kind of overwhelming."

The only thing Donna received from Kara happened to be an extremely nasty look.

* * *

The mind controlled members of the Suicide Squad continued to chip away at the defenses surrounding the Fortress of Solitude. Some accepted their fates. Others turned out to be less docile and less able to accept the fact they had been controlled by Brainiac.

Harley in particular tried to struggle against the attacks. She carried a large bazooka in her hands. The overwhelming humming in the back of her head caused it to be almost impossible to think and borderline impossible to aim the stupid thing. The jester gritted her teeth in an immense amount of frustration. The moment she broke free.

"I swear….once I get out of here….once I escape….I'll get you," Harley said. "I'm no one's puppet, do you hear me?

The force made Harley Quinn's eyes roll into the back of her head. A scattered amount of thoughts in the back of Harley Quinn's head pointed out just how screwed she happened to be. The woman's horrified thoughts continued to spread through her mind. A loud thump hit the back of her head. A more prominent voice whispered forcefully in Harley's mind.

"Remember your orders. The Fortress is to be secured. I don't care if you are going to blow up with it. In fact, your demise is meaningless in the grand scheme of life."

Boomerang loaded up his weapon of choice. He flung it at the Fortress with a solid crack. The barrier around it didn't continue to chip away.

"Got to have a weak spot," Boomerang said. A part of him realized the moment they found a way to get inside, the person controlling them would blow up their heads.

Deadshot struggled against the mind control more than a lot of people. He blasted at the Fortress. He almost turned the gun to his temple in a way to escape, but he had been forced down.

"Just wait, just wait," Deadshot said. The mercenary hoisted up the overly large gun in his hands. One of the torrents rose from the frozen ground beneath them. Deadshot tried to shoot it. It fired back at him.

The defenses on the Fortress stayed strong and unmoving. Anyone who understood how they had been created would see this as obvious.

"It appears I was mistaken sending a bunch of henchmen to do the job I should have done. But you will be an ideal distraction for Supergirl and her friends. The Martian ship I acquired is only a bonus."

"This is as far as you go Brainiac!"

Up in the sky, it wasn't a bird, it wasn't a plane, it was Supergirl. She flew up over the air. Her heat vision knocked the large gun out of Deadshot's head. Another figure rushed in and nailed Deadshot causing him to drop down onto the ground.

"Ah, yes Supergirl, I was wondering when you would show up….and hello, Clara. It appears the rumors of your demise have been greatly exaggerated. But, you have no powers. Therefore, your demise is inevitable."

Clara avoided the attack of Cheetah. The clawed woman rushed her. Clara arched her back and avoided the swipes of the claws which came close to ripping her apart. Clara grabbed Cheetah's arm and took her down.

"I've been hearing about my inevitable demise for way too long,"

Cheetah made her way to a standing position and charged Clara. Donna came out of nowhere with a punch.

"Not my least favorite Amazon," Cheetah said. Donna and Cheetah began to scrap. Donna moved out of the way of Cheetah's claws before they swiped at her. "But you'd still do rather nicely….you're not going to get out of here with your skin intact."

Supergirl circled around in the sky and fought an old foe. Livewire aimed a heavy bolt of lightning at the Girl of Steel. The Girl of Steel dodged the attacks with the lightning cutting through the sky and threatening to take her out.

"Oh, mind controlled or not, you're still pretty annoying, Livewire," Kara said, ducking and dodging the lightning bolts. "And you still have deplorable aim."

Another bolt of lightning caused Kara to abort. Clara and Donna battled the other members of the Suicide Squad down on the ground. Their fighting allowed Kara some one-on-one time with Livewire. Lucky her.

"I don't need a voice in my head to want to take you down you little mini-skirt wearing tramp!" Livewire yelled.

"Oooh, you're really quick witted," Kara said. "Too bad you weren't that way on the air….you would have gotten better ratings if you were."

Kara waited for the other shoe to drop. Sure enough she hit a nerve and assaulted Livewire's vain ego all in one shot. She grinned when Livewire started to breathe heavily.

"YOU BITCH!" Livewire howled. She fired a blast of lightning at Kara. The lightning arched up.

"Good girl, play her like a fiddle," Alia said. She spoke in a tone of voice where only Kara could hear her with her super hearing. "I only need a little bit more electricity to make this plan work."

Kara only scarcely understood what Alia attempted to do. She decided to keep taunting Livewire and avoiding every blast of lightning around her.

A current of energy jumped from Livewire. Several strands of light fired out and nailed the other members of the Suicide Squad full on. The Squad members screamed in agony. They all fell to the Arctic Circle ground like puppets who had their strings prematurely cut.

Everyone took a couple of minutes to recover from what Alia did.

"What did you do?" Donna asked. She prodded Cheetah with her toe.

"I overloaded the nano-bots in their minds and rebooted the signal," Alia said. "Don't worry, they're not dead."

"Reassuring, I guess," Kara said.

"I'd figured you'd be reassured by it. And we can trace them back to the source. With any luck, Brainiac would be shut down."

Kara thought hope sprung eternal, but she wasn't going to build herself up through false hope.

* * *

Amanda Waller hated to admit when she had been compromised. No one in her position liked to admit something like this. The woman, as stubborn as a wall she was, swept over the area of the room. Thanks to the Martians, she had a red line to the heroes.

Given she plotted countermeasures against them in the past, this was borderline embarrassing.

"You know, I don't like this anymore than you do," Waller said. "Especially give our past. But overall, you have to agree we have to work together."

The silence which followed caused Waller to understand how far she went. One might argue she didn't go far enough. She was willing to work with those who she couldn't stand to take down a more dangerous enemy. Even with her grandest delusions, Waller wasn't going to ignore the fact Brainiac was more dangerous than the heroes.

"You're right, I don't like it," Oracle said. "But, let's not focus on the fact the government used super villains to do their bidding. Let's focus on dealing with the alien computer who has taken over your resources."

"Most of the base has been compromised before I had been imprisoned," Waller said. The woman loaded a gun. She would need more than a few bullets to take down Braniac. Still it would be a good start. "But, there is always a backdoor, and there's always a fail safe."

"Yes, I know, I'm working my way into the backdoor right now," Oracle said. She could almost hear Waller's disapproving gasp over the communication link. "Don't sound too surprised."

Waller wasn't surprised. She just wasn't prepared to deal with the fact they could have found a way in at any time, even if Brainiac wasn't here. She would need to fire her security team when this was all over and hire.

"Don't you have the slightest bit of concern whether or not you'll get infected as well?" Waller asked.

"The thought did cross my mind," Barbara said. She kept typing away at the keyboard. "But, I'm dealing with a security system created by Helena Wayne. I think our security is just a bit more airtight than yours."

Waller responded with a nod. She figured just about as much.

"Thanks for the concern though….and this will be a bumpy ride….just how many cells do you have down there anyway?"

Waller racked her mind for a brief second. She made her way down the hallway. So far there was no one here. Then again the Martians did a good job in taking down the guards. She'd give them as much; the two were efficient. For today, they made her job a fair easier.

"Thirty potential recruits," Waller said. "As far as I know. Brainiac may have ramped up his recruiting."

"It says here several Meteor mutants had been moved in from Belle Reve as part of the program," Oracle said. "And I hate to assume something….but is this news to you?"

The news caused Waller a fair amount of distress. She turned the corner towards the control center where she controlled the Suicide Squad.

"The meteor mutants never would have passed muster for the Suicide Squad, not the ones in Belle Reve," Waller said. "Willis was a borderline case."

"I'd say she was the borderline case of something," Barbara said. She tried to keep her tone of voice to be rather neutral even though one could hear the thinly veiled disgust dripping through her voice.

Amanda Waller turned the corner and came face to face with Amanda Waller. Her doppleganger stood unmoving for the longest second. Waller stepped forward and raised her gun. She shot herself full on in the chest several times in rapid fire succession.

Nano-bots leaked out of the chest of the decoy version of the Wall.

"He's deeper in the system."

* * *

Alia and Claire snuck around outside of the ARGUS facility. Both of them looked ready to face anything which came their way. Claire looked at Alia. There were times like this where Alia was hard to read.

"So, are you ready to deal with this?" Claire asked. Alia raised her eyebrow. "I know you normally ask me the same question, but considering the circumstances….."

Alia held her hand up in the air. Claire obeyed her mistress at this one gesture.

"Yes, I'm ready," Alia said. "Whatever Brainiac does, it's easier to ask for forgiveness in the end."

"You were a little hard with Alura," Claire said.

The longest pause followed between the two of them. Alia understood she might have been, but there were very good reasons for her coming down hard on Alura.

"Alura was brilliant, but very flawed," Alia said. "I do respect her more than I do my own father…..and Kara's as well."

An image appeared on the video wall near the control room. The symbol of Brainiac flashed on the screen.

"Welcome daughter of Jor-El. I did not have much of a chance to speak to you in the Arctic and I find it very disappointing I wasn't able to get the Fortress for mine. But rest assure, the remaining knowledge of Krypton will be mine and my programming will be complete. Along with every bit of data on Earth, as insignificant as this planet would be."

"Brainiac," Claire said. "We thought we saw the last of you."

Claire waited for the system to say anything in response. She didn't have to wait long.

"Yes, you assumed," Brainiac said. "But, make no mistake about it, Clara Jor-El, you will fall at my feet. The fool Luthor in his arrogance did not finish you off when he had the chance. His mistake, even if I gave him everything he needed."

"It was you who helped him get the gold Kryptonite," Claire said. Accusations danced in her voice.

"I merely told him the effects of the gold Kryptonite," Brainiac said. "He chose to use the information and assumed it would bring about your destruction. Unfortunately, he miscalculated and you used your last bit of power to finally do what you should have done a long time. Destroy him."

"Just keep talking," Alia said. She almost regained control of the building with help of Karen from the outside.

"I will give Luthor credit, he did come up with a few plans, even if they had holes in them," Brainiac said. "And our combined effort helped bring together the end of the Justice League."

"What are you talking about?" Claire asked.

"You are the daughter of Jor-El," Brainiac said. "Surely you must have inherited some of your father's intelligence, despite your savage upbringing."

Claire paused for the longest of moments and understood everything completely.

"It was a collaborative effort which brought down the Justice League. Several of its members died and others were destroyed…..the League crumbled. The League were only force on Earth strong enough to stop my plan."

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch," Alia said.

"Earth will be destroyed, and a new Krypton will rise above the ashes, free of all of the flaws of the original," Brainiac said.

"I've heard this song and dance before," Claire said. "Do you realize how tiring it is?"

The sound of an explosion from inside the facility caused both of them to jump up.

"If you were wondering, that was the sound of Amanda Waller shooting a duplicate of herself," Oracle said.

"I won't even begin to ask how you hacked into my frequency," Alia said.

"I'm the god damn, Oracle."

Kara turned up in the sky next to them. M'rie and M'gann walked out of the facility next rather unscathed to face them.

"We were able to destroy the ship," M'gann said. "Brainiac won't be able to get the contents inside and neither will ARGUS."

She hated to sacrifice any of her Martian heritage, but M'gann understood the necessity of sacrifice better than a lot of people. Kara dropped down next to her and placed her shoulder.

"The traces of Brainiac in the system have been purged," Barbara said. "But, he only existed in robotic duplicate of Waller, and the nano-bots had an escape plan."

To prove the point, one of the attack drones for the training escaped over the rooftop and disappeared, going up, up, and away, past them as far as they could go.

"Now what?" M'rie asked.

Kara found it rather jarring she had been asked the question, but she came up with a good answer.

"The world needs the Justice League now more than ever," Kara said. "It's time to get the old gang back together."

* * *

The White Ghost stood in the shadows and spoke to the flickering form of his father. The time for him to ascend to a new plane was nearly at hand.

"You have everything ready, my son," Ra's said.

"Yes, father, everything is ready," The White Ghost said. He rang his hands together in excitement. The spirit of the Demon began to flicker in the light. "You will be brought back from the dead and the League of Assassins will grow stronger than ever before."

"Remember, there is one final sacrifice needed for my return to be assured," Ra's said.

"It will be done."

The White Ghost turned his attention to the cage containing his sister. Talia looked to be bored out of her mind. The woman looked up to stare down the White Ghost. It wasn't with the respect he expected, but rather with thinly veiled contempt.

"Talking to the air again?" Talia asked.

"You should mind your tongue," the White Ghost said. "After you've proven yourself to be a disappointment, I will redeem you."

"You think I need redemption?" Talia asked. "I think your time in seclusion has caused you to be delusional. And the people who have followed you are even more so."

Talia wondered what she could do to drive the message through this fool's head. Ra's Al Ghul chose his own matter of execution. Several factions of the League chose not to accept it.

Now the foolish White Ghost thought he talked to his father's spirit. Either his mind was deluded or someone tried to delude him. Talia didn't know which.

"I need to prepare before the Dragon finds out my plans," The White Ghost said. He pressed his hand against the bars of Talia's cage. "And you will be the perfect sacrifice."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on March 4** **th** **, 2016.**


	56. Chapter 56

Last chance to vote. Poll closes on Saturday, United States Central Time. Link in profile.

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Six: From the Ashes.**

* * *

The more Kara considered it, the more she wondered whether or not her mad plan to bring the Justice League back was really worth it. She thought about all of the successes the League had. In the shortest amount of time, they did succeed. However, the wheels fell off pretty quickly. The young woman stepped inside of a meeting hall the league once used. Chloe dubbed it the Hall of Justice. While the name did not stick, Kara thought enough of it was fitting to consider adopting the name on a more permanent basis.

Claire joined Kara a few seconds later. As the defector leader to the League during it's height, Kara valued Claire's opinion.

"The League was an excellent idea at the time," Claire said. "It's just a shame it went wrong. With so many of the members dying, becoming incapacitated, or everything. It was also a matter of convenience the League got together in the first place. You do realize….."

"Yes, Claire, I do realize," Kara said. She didn't mean to cut her cousin off. She needed to out of the necessity of the matter. Kara turned her head for a few seconds and closed her eyes. It was going to be rough no matter how you sliced things. "But, we have to try. The only other alternative is for Brainiac to run unchecked in the world. He's destroyed many worlds."

"Agreed," Claire said.

Helena, Diana, and M'rie all showed up, and all of them exchanged looks with each other. Along with some pretty knowing smiles.

"It's been a long time," Diana said.

"I have to say, this place brings back all kinds of memories," M'rie said.

The words hung in the air which indicated not all of the memories this place brought back were exactly the most fond of memories. Regardless of the fact, M'rie thought what they needed to do. Everyone had their own role in this Justice League. All of them had their plans and their thoughts of where to go next.

"The League may have passed," Helena said. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I'm not sure it's a good idea," Kara said. "But us giving this one more try is the best thing to do to stop him from overrunning the Earth."

Kara absolutely refused to have another planet suffer underneath Brainiac. The Girl of Steel had a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"So is this a reunion, or what?"

An attractive redhead woman with green eyes showed up. She wore a white tank top and blue jeans. Her most defining feature happened to be the large mace she carried.

"It's been a long time, Shayera," Diana said.

Shayera Hol, better known as Hawkgirl, stepped into the picture. She had left the League after her people invaded the Earth. She suffered the ultimate price in this battle given her wings had been clipped. Despite the fact there had been several technological alternatives available, Shayera didn't grab them.

"A very long time," Shayera said. "I thought I was hearing things. I thought you were insane to get the Justice League back together."

"No, not insane," Kara said. "Just desperate."

"Ah, there's a fine line."

"Well, I'm here….against my better judgment."

Another attractive redhead dressed in a red tank top with a yellow lightning bolt and pants to match turned up towards them. She stepped into the picture and eyed Kara.

Whitney West had been the latest person to become the Flash. It wasn't with any joy though given what happened.

"Whitney, the League needs the Flash," Kara said. "I'm glad you're here."

Whitney responded with a sigh. Given all she had been through, Kara could see why she wasn't her usual chipper self.

"Yes," Whitney said. "I'm….just not the Flash the League had before…..given what happened…."

She sacrificed her life and disappeared into the Speed Force. Whitney tried not to get too choked up over the situation, but it was extremely hard not to.

"I'm not sure if I can fill her boots," Whitney said.

"I'm not looking for someone to fill her boots," Kara said. "I'm looking for someone who is fast enough to do the job I need."

"The thing is, I wasn't fast enough when it counted!" Whitney said. "So, what makes you think I'll be fast enough now when you need me?"

"Oh, give it a rest, and stop beating yourself up," Claire said. The woman paused and sudden realization dawned on her. She slowly turned to Kara. "Was I this annoying when I was beating myself up after losing my powers?"

"Yep," Kara said.

Green Arrow and Black Canary stepped in to join them, as they should have been. Artemis and Whitney exchanged a smile. Having been former team mates on the junior squad, it was nice to finally move up to the big leagues. Kara jumped up to the big leagues because she refused to be typecast as Superwoman's sidekick.

"The Queen of Atlantis hasn't returned our calls," Chloe said.

"Given she's in the middle of a civil war after her husband died, it's understandable," Helena said.

"So, are we going to do this?" Kara asked. "Give this one more try…to put a stop to Brainiac?"

"What do we have to lose?" Whitney asked.

"Earth if we fail," Kara said. Whitney's shoulders slumped forward and she sighed. "No pressure or anything."

"Right, no pressure, thanks," Whitney said. She didn't know where they were heading with this one but she was ready to run into danger head long, no matter what the consequences.

"There's a signal coming from the old Watchtower," Chloe said.

"I could have sworn that place had got shut down a long time ago," Whitney said.

"Well, Brainiac has booted it back up with his usual style," Chloe said.

The League all prepared for battle. They had to shut down their former base of operations. It looked like Brainiac had taken it over for his own sinister purposes and the danger increased several times over with this fact in mind.

* * *

Lois Lane's journalistic senses started to tingle. The reporter rushed out to the Metropolis waterfront. News of the disturbance outside of the water reached the reporter.

 _'Wouldn't ever be a slow news day, now would it?'_

Lois thought she answered her question quite nicely. Something really large started to lift out of the water. The people in the crowd grasped and pointed. Lois tried to nudge them out of the way so she could get a better look.

The reporter shivered as she sensed something rather bad was happening. The uniformed personel showing up too showed as much. Lois needed to get in for the closest look possible.

She slipped around the police barricade and marched towards her location. The crafty reporter tried to stay a couple of steps ahead with where she needed to go.

The reporter's violet eyes widened for a second. She couldn't believe what she saw.

 _'No way…that looks like….but it can't be…..'_

Lois followed the progress of a large flying fortress falling out of the sky. She covered it. The fall of the Justice League had been rather symbolic given how their base of operations fell from the sky and landed with a thud in the midst of Metropolis. Now the Watchtower started to hover over Metropolis for the entire world to see.

Lois appreciated how large the fortress of the once Justice League was. And dangerous as she stared down the arm cannons, which had been prone to fire at anyone who was foolish enough to stand in her way.

"Gone, but not forgotten," Lois said in a low voice.

The entire Watchtower rising out of the Metropolis river front caused some people to start snapping photos. The military personnel started to walk in. Lois wondered what they thought to accomplish with the weapons they started to carry. The reporter understood the need to protect the people, but there was a line which needed to be cross.

One of the big screens of the Watchtower began to fire to life. Lois craned her neck up. A rather familiar symbol flickered on the edge of the Watchtower. Three upside down dots forming a triangle appeared. Lois understood now the danger of the situation.

"Greetings humanity. My name is the BrainInteractive Construct Seven Point Zero. Many of you may have heard of me underneath the shortened name of Brainiac."

The citizens of Metropolis started to gasp and some of them stepped back in horror.

"I have decided to take over the facility belonging to the group known as the Justice League. I can do this because I brought it from the sky and I can rise it to the skies of Metropolis once more and beyond. This facility has the weaponry to wipe out humanity. Resistance against my rule will be useless. I do calculate though you will attempt to stop me. Any who go up against me will be the first to fall."

Lois prepared for a long monologue. For a computer, Brainiac loved to hear his own modulated voice. She brushed her hair away from her face.

"Humanity will all be wiped out in a matter of moments. Resistance is useless. I will take all of the knowledge. A New Krypton will arise and the true Kryptonian will return to the throne."

Lois wondered how Brainiac hoped to accomplish this. The only portal to the Phantom Zone she knew of nestled safely in the Phantom Zone.

The military made their way in. They had a huge tank and they armed it to fire. The rocket soured through the air. The rocket impacted the side of the Watchtower with a brutal strike.

The moment the smoke cleared, everyone looked up in time to see the Watchtower hadn't even been scratched at all. The cannon of the Watchtower started to fire to life and aimed towards the military people.

"Everyone scatter!"

* * *

Chloe reclined back in the chair. She prepared herself for a long night. Running mission control for a lot of people was different than running mission support for a lot of people. The set up she had here was not really too conductive to the League, but they could work with it.

The door swung open. Felicity stepped into the room carrying two cups of coffee.

"Figured you could use some coffee," Felicity said. "And some back up."

"Thanks, I have a feeling this is going to be a long night," Chloe said. She took a long swig from the cup of coffee and looked towards the screen. A thoughtful expression spread over her face. "So, both would be appreciated?"

The Watchtower rose up over Metropolis. She didn't have any clue what Brainiac's end game might have been, but it couldn't have been anything she liked.

"So, do you have any ideas?" Felicity said.

"A couple theories," Chloe said. Felicity frowned and Chloe pressed on. "I should point out there is nothing beyond those theories. And I'm not even sure if they are really good theories to be perfectly honest with you."

"I'm sure you've got a pretty good idea what you need to do," Felicity said.

"If I can find where Brainiac is transmitting, I can lead the team to him," Chloe said. "But, the problem is, with Brainiac, the only thing for sure is nothing is for sure."

Chloe learned the lesson the hard way more than a couple of times when dealing with Brainiac. One encounter changed her life forever. It gave her an amazing gift. Brainiac tried to use it to take control of her, but with help from Kara and Claire, she managed to get hold of it.

 _'Left me with a nice level twelve intellect which is really good.'_

"The biggest obstacle is going to be the civilians in the way," Chloe said.

"One of the biggest obstacles, anyway?" Felicity asked. "Brainiac has to be siphoning power from somewhere. Wouldn't the power batteries in the Watchtower have long since burned out by now?"

"Yes, they should have," Chloe said. "But, Brainiac must have picked up something in the ARGUS facility. And he's been lying dormant in the Watchtower ever since bringing it out of the sky."

Chloe double checked something as she waited to hear contact from the team. She recalled the day the Watchtower fell from space. It started a chain of events which lead to Claire losing her powers and a lot of other unfortunate things happening. The League crumbled on this day.

 _'Bad times for all. I can hardly believe it.'_

"I think I can track Brainiac down," Chloe said. "And if I can get in close enough, I might be able to cripple him enough for Kara and the others to get in."

"How?" Felicity asked. Chloe looked towards her. She stepped back. "Sorry…..I didn't…..I didn't meant to pry….."

"No, it's okay," Chloe said. She spent a long moment trying to rack her mind for the best way to explain this entire mess to Felicity. It was hard to explain something like this to someone like an outsider. "When I was a teenager, I had been infected by a virus by Brainiac. It give me extraordinary abilities and a level 12 intellect. It also left me with a mild link to him."

"Chloe, do you think….it works both ways?" Felicity asked. "You could use him, but he could find you and use you for terrible things."

Chloe closed her eyes for a long moment. Felicity wondered if she hit a little too close to hope. The woman felt bad if she did.

"I've been down the road one time before….Claire and Kara managed to stop Brainiac," Chloe said. "And they said they fixed the problem….but you never know with Brainiac."

Chloe reached into the drawer and pulled out a gun. She slipped it into Felicity's hand.

"Are you….."

"I'm telling you this is important," Chloe said. "If he takes me over….put a bullet in my head."

"Do you really think a bullet is going to stop Brainiac?" Felicity asked.

Chloe thought about this, but as always, she had an answer to pretty much everything.

"It has an EMP charge which will fry any electronics in the area, including Kryptonians," Chloe said. "It will also fry my nervous system….but things have to be done….if it's the only way to stop Brainiac."

"You're serious?" Felicity asked. She could hardly believe it.

"When the world is in danger, I'm nothing, but serious," Chloe said. She accessed the Watchtower. "Okay guys, I've found a blindspot. But you need to keep Brainiac distracted while Kara slips in to do her thing."

Chloe just hoped she didn't have to do her thing. The consequences of her doing her thing would end up being rather ugly. She frowned and hated to consider each and every one of the dangerous consequences.

"Keep your hand on the gun, Felicity. You might only have a second."

* * *

Given the Council based Brainiac off of her mother's creation, Kara experienced a sense of responsibility to take him out. The responsibility drove her deep inside the Watchtower.

The guns started to fire at her. Several Brainiac drones appeared in front of her. Kara screwed her eyes shot and blasted like a cork at them.

The Girl of Steel mowed them down with a huge punch. Two of them got taken out in one shot. A third refused to go down. It sent an electrified net towards Kara. She dodged. A miniature rocket nailed her with a force and nearly blew her through the Watchtower wall.

A figure dropped down from the ceiling. Alex brought the blade down into the back of the Brainiac drone and sliced him in half.

"Did you really think we would let the League hog all of the fun?"

Karen stepped down in front of Kara. Her future self from an alternative timeline helped Kara up to her feet. Kara shook her head and smiled.

"Doubted it very much."

Alia made her way from the shadows. The grinding of the approaching Brainiac drones caused her to tense up in an instant. Reaching into her overcoat, Alia removed a miniature sonic device. She pressed her finger to it.

The sonic blast started to scramble the Brainiac drones and drive them back. Alia knew it wouldn't stop them for long, but maybe it could stop them for long enough.

"This way," Kara said. "Brainiac is in the main control room."

Alia knew Brainiac was in the main control room. She would have had to have been pretty blind not figure out the obvious fact. Knowing he was in the main control room and actually getting to the main control room had been two different things.

"I've got the security overrode, but you have only two minutes."

Kara smiled at Chloe's words.

"Perfect."

The three of them made their way into the room. Brainiac's "face" flickered onto the screen of the Watchtower.

"In a matter of minutes, Earth will be decimated," Brainiac said. "You will survive….and once you have been re-educated, you will be perfect to help build New Krypton."

"Sorry, I don't care about ancient history," Alia said. "I prefer a brighter future."

"You do not know who you're standing beside, do you, Supergirl?" Brainiac asked.

Kara wondered where Brainiac was going.

"Alexandra Evans is merely a front and a façade for someone…she will….."

Kara anticipated what Brainiac had to say next. The only problem was he almost had been cut completely off. It was because Alia was already in the computer.

 _'The Council really did a number on you, didn't they?'_

Alia spent some time studying Alura's initial source code. Therefore she picked apart the flaws.

The computer shoot and a large silvery orb flew into her hand. The Watchtower began to crumble.

"Supergirl to Justice League, you better get the hell out of here."

Supergirl already bolted from the facility. Power Girl and Alia followed her seconds later. The two of them jumped out.

The rest of the League moved around. The downed Brainiac drones littered the city. Someone had a hell of a mess to clean up later.

"Watching this thing fall from the sky for a second time," Helena said. The Watchtower plunged into the river once again causing a huge splash. "Somehow, it's harder than watching it fall the first time…..I have no idea why. It just is."

Diana placed a hand on Helena's shoulder. She understood.

"We're going to have to get it out this time," Diana said. "There are some parts on the tower which are still good….and too dangerous."

"One thing at a time," Claire said. "So, is the end of Brainiac?"

"This is all which is left of her," Alia said. She held the silver orb in her hand. The entire group looked towards her. "I'll keep you updated."

Helena nodded in response.

Kara frowned. Brainiac was going to tell her something about Alia, something important. Alia plugged the plug before the machine had a chance to spill the beans for lack of a better term.

Just when she started to trust Alia a little bit, this had bene thrown on her. Was Brainiac lying? Kara didn't know and she wanted to find out sooner rather than later.

* * *

Talia stared forward with the defiant expression dancing within her green orbs. The Daughter of the Demon absolutely refused to show any fear when the White Ghost lead her towards the altar. Symbols of a language Talia didn't recognize had been carved.

"I followed your instructions to the letter father," the White Ghost said. "Father?"

"He decided to stop talking to you," Talia said. "No wonder, because you're a bore."

"Mind your tongue, Talia," the White Ghost said. "My father merely is preparing for his rebirth."

"If it helps you sleep," Talia said. "You're dabbling in forces you have no comprehension in."

"You don't know what I will comprehend," White Ghost said. "I intended to use Nyssa to kick start the sacrifice, but you will do nicely."

"Sorry, I don't think so."

Talia broke free of the guards who held her. She pulled the sword from one of the sheaths. The Daughter of the Demon brought the sword down onto the chest of her adversary and hacked him.

Talia noticed the open window. A long way down underneath several jagged rocks and she had to navigate a barbed wire fence. The alternative was far worse so Talia decided to go for it.

The Daughter of the Demon knocked over a torch and caused flames to rise up. The wall of fire allowed her to make her escape.

The Assassins moved forward to put out the fire. The White Ghost stepped forward and looked towards the crypt.

"Forgive me father…..it's the only way…..I'll show you my loyalty."

The White Ghost hacked at his arm repeatedly. Blood splattered out onto the carved symbols. The symbols started to glow and the torches started to flicker to life.

The crypt started to rock. The assassins moved over, their excitement spreading over them.

"The Great Demon arises. Ra's Al Ghul is….ARGH!"

A large hand slammed through the crypt and found the throat of one of the assassins. The assassin struggled against the creature which grabbed him. The creature crushed the assassin's hand like an oversized grape.

The White Ghost looked up in time to be grabbed around the throat. The creature spiked him against the wall, impaling him like a trophy on one of the torches. Fire burned through his body to make his last few moments utter agony.

The Kryptonian monster known as Doomsday left the ritual chamber. A single minded appetite for destruction filled the creature.

He would crush Superwoman and anyone who opposed him.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on March 8** **th** **, 2016.**


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter of the week voting linked in my profile. Go vote.

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Seven: Doomsday Part One.**

* * *

Kara went over the events of today in her mind several times as she made her way back to the Penthouse. Overall today's team up could have gone rather poorly. It didn't go poorly at all. In fact, Kara thought it was good to have the entire crew back together to an extent. Something about the League teaming up after all of this time just put a bit of a smile on her face.

The League decided to return to the Penthouse. All of them looked rather pleased with themselves, well most of them did anyway. Kara noticed the entire League got together, with the exception of one. Claire wasn't here. She slipped off into the shadows.

The thought of Claire disappearing served as a reminder to Kara how much her cousin changed over the years. She wasn't the beacon of hope which built of the League. If anything else, Kara was more like the Superwoman of old and Claire was more like the mysterious avenger, more like the answer to Batman. Called upon when needed, but for the most part, disappeared into the shadows.

If Kara needed to take on the role, so be it. She stepped into the picture.

"I have to admit, a team up for old time's sake was pretty sweet," Whitney said. She turned her attention to Kara and smiled. "Even though we just had to put out fires and deal with drones."

"It did feel good," Shayera said. She had allowed herself to be grounded, in more ways than one, for way too long. The woman needed to get out and spread her wings a little bit more. It would have served her a bit better to be honest.

"Good?" Whitney asked.

"I think it felt really great," Artemis said.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you," Whitney said. "You're more of the loner type…"

Artemis turned to Whitney and stared her down for a few long seconds.

"You have room to talk," Artemis said. "You're taking up the banner of a one woman army…especially after….after what happened."

Whitney's lips curled into a frown as her eyes closed. She thought long and hard about the events which occurred as of late. She sighed.

"For what it's worth, she would be proud," Kara said.

Whitney smiled, her and Kara butted heads a lot in the past. The two of them had a bit of a rivalry over the entire who was the quickest thing. It drove Whitney in some respects, but one had to admit it was a tiny bit childish. Still, many of the things which drove a person ended up being among the more childish end of things.

"You really think she would?" Whitney asked. Her eyes danced with glee. Kara reached over and touched a hand to the side of Whitney's shoulder. The Girl of Steel smiled when she stared at Whitney.

"I don't think she would," Kara said. "I know she would."

"But, today was really good," Diana said. "It is always refreshing to know someone has my back….other than my sisters on the island."

"I think we always had each other's back," Dinah said. She could not believe today went about as well as it did. "But, we needed some force to bring us together and make us understand what was truly important."

"What didn't kill the League, made us stronger."

Helena hadn't spoke up for a long time. When she did, she made it count and she did.

"My father even learned the value of teaming up and allies after a while," Helena said. "Maybe the idea of the Justice League isn't as dead as people would assume."

"You know what they say about assumptions," Kara said.

"Indeed," Helena said.

The group all sat around with refreshments provided. Kara didn't remind providing them.

"We're going to have to find a more permanent base of operations if the League team-up becomes a regular event," Helena said.

"I have to agree with Helena," Diana said. "The Penthouse is very nice…..but it can get a bit crowded, couldn't it?"

"Well," Chloe said. "The Hall of Justice worked earlier as a central meeting point…we're going to need to clean it up. I doubt we can get the Watchtower out of the bay a second time."

"Some of the equipment on the Watchtower can be salvageable," Helena said. "And we should end up salvaging it before someone puts it to a better use."

Kara didn't need any further information other than what Helena said. Brainiac did a pretty good job in causing some trouble with the Watchtower. They also should look at him. While Kara was almost certain Alia purged Brainiac from the system, they thought they had put the computer out of commission before. One could never be too careful with Brainiac around.

Alia bugged Kara in some way as well. The girl hid some rather big secrets. Kara respected a person's privacy. However, it wasn't to be denied there was something which unsettled her.

* * *

Kara kicked up as fast as she could go, and headed straight for Starr Industries about as fast as a speeding bullet. The Girl of Steel needed to ask some questions, even if she much did not prefer the answers. And she figured she would get the better answers as Supergirl more than anything else.

The security had been really good. Much to her surprise, Kara had been let in.

"Really, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise," Chloe said. "After all, Karen is technically you, isn't she? From another timeline."

Sometimes, Kara hated when Chloe had a point. The young woman had a point extremely often and Kara groaned often because of it. Regardless, she stepped inside. The moment she entered, a young woman with dark hair ran into her.

"Hello, Atlee."

"Hi!" Atlee said. "Alia…she thought you were going to show up too soon."

Was she this predictable? Kara frowned and hung her head. She was going to be angry at herself if she was this predictable. Regardless, the Girl of Steel needed to stop beating herself up.

"Come on," Atlee said. She spoke in a cheerful tone of voice. "I'll take you up to her office."

Kara raised her eyebrow, but said nothing. She followed Atlee up to the office.

"Hello, Kara."

Kara noticed her cousin sitting there. She dressed in female business attire. It looked less dorky than what she wore during her days at the Daily Planet.

"Alia will be joining you in a minute," Atlee said. She flashed an adorable little smile towards Kara. "And thank you for protecting me when you were out there."

"It looks like Alia and Karen were the ones who took you in," Kara said. She allowed herself a smile to be directed towards Atlee. "It is really good to see you're better, though."

"Thanks," Atlee said.

A second later, Alia and Karen made their way into the office to join Claire and Kara before the two really had a chance to sit down and talk. Kara wanted to talk to Alia, a huge part of her wanted to talk to Alia. Another part of her experienced a heavy level of disappointment at not getting an opportunity to talk to her cousin and have an honest conversation for once in their lives.

"So, what happened with Brainiac?" Kara asked.

"I took his core programming and am reworking it," Alia said. "Your mother did an excellent job in creating a high level artificial intelligence. It was a shame they got their hands on it and muddled it."

Kara nodded in response.

"You're still thinking about what he said, aren't you?" Alia asked.

"I'm still wondering how much I can trust you," Kara said.

Alia's sigh became rather labored. Claire exchanged a nervous look towards Karen. Karen decided to speak up and deal with this situation before it escalated.

"Kara, do you think I can talk to you for a second?" Karen asked.

Kara looked at her older counterpart for a long moment and nodded numbly. The two of them left the office area to talk with each other.

"Okay, what's the problem?" Karen asked. "If it's what Brainiac said, you should know, he's all about causing dissention. It's why no one believed Jor-El until the planet was about ready to be destroyed"

"I know," Kara said. "And it's not just what Brainiac said. If it was just what he said, I could discount it."

"Oh, I see," Karen said. She understood instantly where Kara was coming from. "It wasn't as much what he said. It was him verifying what you're thinking."

"Yes," Kara said. She wondered how transparent she could be. "I know you've known her for a lot longer than she is. And I'm sure you're grateful for her….and all of the help she's given you."

"I understand what you've been through," Karen said. Kara raised her eyebrow. "Well, not exactly….I can't completely understand what you've been through."

Karen spent more time in suspended animation than Kara did.

"Still, I understand how you've had more burdens than I do," Karen said. She brushed a strand of hair away from Kara's face and smiled. "And you've tackled them all. Alia might have her secrets, but there's a good reason why she doesn't throw them all out on the open."

"Did she share it with you?" Kara asked. Karen looked at Kara. The transparent expression on her face grew obvious. "You really can't say, can you?"

"No," Karen said. "I'm really sorry."

Kara could tell in an instant how Karen meant every word she said. She appreciated the honesty.

"Maybe you should talk to her, face to face," Karen said. "Unless you're afraid what you might find out."

Kara didn't answer the question. Was she? She didn't know.

"I think I'd like to speak to Claire first," Kara said. "And then I'll deal with Alia."

* * *

Claire thought the conversation with her cousin was a long time overdue. To be perfectly honest, she was surprised it didn't happen a long time ago.

"For the record," Kara said. The two cousins took a long walk around parts of Metropolis. It had been too long since the two of them had a chance to really talk. "All of the things I said when I was underneath the Black Kryptonite. I was sorry, and I didn't mean it."

Claire leaned towards her cousin. Placing a gentle hand on Kara's shoulder, Claire smiled and looked her cousin directly in the eye.

"I know you were sorry," Claire said. "But, you did mean every word you said."

Kara opened her mouth to protest. Claire stopped her from going all the way.

"And every word you said was true. And it gave me the wakeup call I needed. I could sit around being sorry about myself and being….what did Lois call it?"

"A little emo bitch?" Kara asked.

Claire cracked a smile. Her cousin had a nice way with words. Granted, a lot of her language wasn't the most polite or politically correct. Claire suspected such dialogue was a hazard of hanging around Lois.

"I was," Claire said. "I don't think anyone could deny my attitude wasn't the best after I lost my powers. I lost a part of who I was."

"And here was the woman who strived to be normal despite being extraordinary," Kara said. "It seemed like it took you ten years to learn how to fly."

"It didn't take me that long," Claire said.

Kara laughed and looked at her with a rather distinct, "whatever you say, Claire." The two girls locked eyes with each other for a long moment. A smile passed over Kara's face.

"Alia is coming close to finding a cure for me," Claire said. "You got the ball rolling."

"Helena nearly couldn't save me," Kara said. "You realize what happened, didn't you?"

Claire understood what happened. She understood how her younger cousin died.

"What would you have done if she would have killed me with her little experiment?" Kara asked.

The loaded question slapped Claire in the face with all of the force of a spiked glove. About as subtle as well, Claire had to admit. The wheels turned in the head of the former Superwoman. She looked at Kara with a serious expression dancing in her eyes.

"I would never forgive her," Claire said.

Kara smiled and offered a soft "Thanks."

"But, she's figured out what needs to be done," Claire said. "And I understand…the risk."

"There's a risk involved?" Kara asked.

"There was a risk every time I put on the cape," Claire said. "I might have been bulletproof, but there were things which could hurt me. Bring me back down to Earth."

The incident with the Gold Kryptonite taught Claire super powerful did not mean super invincible. It rarely meant super invincible. She was humbled for the longest time afterwards.

"It's going to be weird," Claire said. "Going back to powers….."

"But it doesn't mean you should forget the skills you've learned before," Kara said. Claire flashed a smile towards her. "You know….I might not trust her, but she did a good job."

Claire decided it was best for both not to tell Kara what her training entailed. Alia pretty much had to break her and rebuild her to get her to the position. Claire showed the inner strength she had. As Alia pointed out, if she was a lost cause, she would have died.

"Nightwing and Superwoman…both of them, they're nothing without Claire Kent."

Claire smiled in response. She remembered those words several times. The Nightwing part was new, but her mother said it to her. Her father too before he died.

"You can trust Alia," Claire said. "I had to admit…..it was hard. But she helped me when she didn't have to. And I thought she had an agenda….but she really wants to help the people of Earth be the very best they could be."

"I'd like to trust your judgment, Claire," Kara said.

Kara wondered if part of her resentment towards Alia had been she had been able to do so much more underneath the name Alexandra Evans than Kara could do as either Supergirl or Kara Kent.

"It was hard for me at first, too," Claire said. "Especially with who her father was."

Kara perked up at the information. Did she just hit the jackpot? Before, Kara could ask or Claire could elaborate, Alia popped up out of nowhere.

"Sorry, you both know I wouldn't break this up unless I had a really good reason," Alia said.

"What?" Claire asked.

"We have a problem…the League performed the ritual."

Kara forgot about Alia's parentage because a more serious situation presented itself.

"He's back then, is Ra's Al Ghul back?"

Alia's tension hit a fever pitch when she looked at both women.

"Not exactly."

* * *

Talia collapsed at STARR Industries. Jade and Nyssa met her at the door and escorted the woman inside.

"Talia, thank God you're okay," Nyssa said. She wrapped her arms around Talia and held her up.

"I wouldn't thank anyone yet," Talia said. "We have a serious problem….I just hope he didn't beat me here."

"Our father, he returns?" Nyssa asked.

The horror which spread over Talia's face made Nyssa wonder if it was someone other than their father who made his comeback. The two made sure Talia got set down on the couch.

"Jade, please get her something to eat and drink," Nyssa said. Concern flooded her face regarding her sister. "You look like you've seen a ghost, Talia."

Talia took a long moment to get her bearings together. She shot a glare at Nyssa. The weak look on her face showed the story. She resembled a shell-shocked veteran more than anything else.

"If I saw a ghost, I wouldn't be as worried," Talia said. She accepted the drink and the food. She hadn't eaten a proper meal in several weeks now. "It's more than a ghost. It's more than my father."

Alia opened the door and walked over. She performed a few scans on Talia to ensure she was alright.

"For the record, I never thought….I never thought things would lead to both of you two being captured," Alia said.

"We understood the mission," Talia said. She didn't want to hear a single word of it. "And we understood what we needed to do. We thought we could get closer to his operation. Shut down the rogue faction of the League."

"You did your duty, and I thank you," Alia said. "But, you come to me with dire news."

"The direst," Talia said. She looked on with a frown on her face. "My demented brother assumed he talked to the ghost of Ra's Al Ghul."

Everything started to click together in Alia's mind.

"He thought my father's ghost left him a short time ago," Talia said.

Everything started to come together a little bit more. The demented thoughts entering Alia's mind would not leave her be. She brushed a strand of dark hair from her face and started to frown.

"Around the same time I stopped Brainiac," Alia said.

Talia realized it as well. Nyssa and Jade responded with gasps. Both of the hardened assassins had been struck numb by several thoughts entering their minds.

"Brainiac intended to trick the White Ghost into freeing the monster," Alia said. "It was a backup plan if his conquest with the Watchtower didn't work….he would destroy all Earth. And it would leave…their path clear."

All of the signs grew even morbid. Alia experienced a chill going down her spine not unlike anything she had ever seen before in her life.

"The monster is going to cut a path of destruction, and….you know what he's programmed to kill."

"Not what, who," Alia said.

She bounced to her feet. As much as she wanted to allow Kara and Claire to talk with each other, she had a serious problem they needed to address and right now.

Alia managed to track Claire to the center of Metropolis. She disappeared in a flash of light and appeared about three feet behind Kara and Claire.

"Sorry, you both know I wouldn't break this up unless I had a really good reason," Alia said.

"What?" Claire asked.

"We have a problem…the League performed the ritual."

Kara forgot about Alia's parentage because a more serious situation presented itself.

"He's back then, is Ra's Al Ghul back?"

"Not exactly."

Claire raised her eyebrow. Before she could say anything, Kara stepped in to look at Alia.

"What do you mean, not exactly?" Kara asked.

"The League tried to bring Ra's back," Alia said. "But the ritual brought back someone far more dangerous."

Kara wondered who could be far more dangerous than one of the world's deadliest assassins and leader of a terrorist group. Actually, there were a couple of options.

"Doomsday has been brought back."

Claire's blood ran completely cold. The creature had been difficult to put down the first time. She buried it so far underneath the ground she thought no one could find it.

"We've tracked the creature."

Power Girl dropped down onto the ground. She faced her three Kryptonian survivors and looked rather serious.

"He's heading towards Kansas….he's heading towards Smallville."

Claire guessed you could in fact go home again. She realized the path of destruction the creature would cause.

"Claire, you're going to need to fly," Alia said.

"It's too dangerous," Kara said. "Let me….let me contact the League…and then I'll go…warn Martha."

Claire almost protested, she knew what she had to do. She didn't tell Kara just yet, because she knew her cousin would freak out.

Kara was gone, faster than a speeding bullet. The Girl of Steel almost broke the sound barrier with how fast she took.

* * *

The primal force of destruction rolled into Smallville. The field he stood in smelled familiar. Some time ago, he crashed here, with a simple mission. He intended to wipe out the last survivors of Krypton. The creature's primitive mind remembered how it had been driven underneath ground. Sent into a nocturnal slumber which it was not set to wake up from in some time.

A powerful force caused it to be woken up. The creature made its way through Smallville.

"What in the devil are you?"

A farmer approached him. The toothless old man walked towards the creature, a shotgun cocked when he looked at his adversary.

"You're not one of those meteor freaks, are you?"

The words of the farmer barely registered with the creature. The bullets from the farmer's gun registered even less. He unloaded his shotgun at the creature.

The only vision the monster saw was an obstacle. His hand gripped the head of the farmer. The farmer had no chance. The farmer's face crushed in his hand.

Blood dripped from the face of the creature. The primal force continued to roll down Smallville. It walked through an electric fence without any problems.

The creature made its way through a rolling valley and all the way up a hill. It walked down a very familiar driveway. Instinct guided the creature towards where it needed to be. The creature stepped forward. A faded mailbox with the name "Kent" flashed into his line of sight.

The creature growled. The blood lust filled his body and he approached closer to where he needed to go.

Close to revenge, close to satisfying his hunger.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on March 11** **th** **, 2016.**


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter Fifty-Eight: Doomsday Part Two:**

* * *

 ****Out of all of the tings Kara prepared herself to deal with, facing off against Doomsday ranked pretty low on the list. Despite a battle against Doomsday's ranking extremely important. The Girl of Steel gritted her teeth and decided to do what she needed to do. She activated the communication network and flew off in the opposite direction.

"You know, flying headlong into danger is something your cousin would do when she had her powers," Chloe said. "Or running, depending on the era I'm talking about…..I understand what you're coming from for the record. I honestly do, it's just….it could be dangerous."

"Of course it's dangerous," Kara said. She didn't want to say much, but she understood the risks of facing off against the monster. "The League has brought an extremely dangerous monster, one who can destroy the Earth and everyone on it. You remember the damage he caused last time."

"All too well," Chloe said. "The question is, do you have a plan to stop him?"

The longest pause followed for Kara. The pause lasted so long, Chloe grew a tiny bit concerned with the fact Kara did speak.

"Kara?" Chloe asked. "Are you still with me?"

"I have a plan," Kara said after a moment's pause. "I'm just not sure if the plan will stop him completely."

"Well, you're going to need some backup," Chloe said. "And I'm not even sure if backup is going to be enough when dealing with a situation like Doomsday."

Kara nodded for a brief second. She knew it all too well. The entire prototypical Jutsice League stood by Claire during the first battle. She barely put the monster in the ground even with the attempts.

The legends regarding the monster caused Kara to be concerned. The monster would get stronger each time he would be brought back. Kara understood one thing.

 _'It means, he's going to be brought back. There's no stopping him from behind brought back. And he will be stronger than ever….going to have to find a way to put him down for a long time.'_

Brainiac's intention obviously was to bring Doomsday in to help rebuild Krypton. The Girl of Steel didn't know where he would go from there. Whether he had a plan to get Doomsday out of the way when he was rendered completely and utterly obsolete.

"Suppose it's hard for him to tell me now, when he's shut down," Kara said.

"Believe me, I'd ask him if he wasn't in the process of being programmed into something more useful," Alia said.

Kara nearly stopped in mid-air to get her bearings. The Girl of Steel had to put the brakes on to prevent herself from crashing through a watertower.

"I won't even ask you how I hacked into my communication," Kara said. "Actually I should, so I can prevent anyone from doing it again."

"For the record, it wasn't easy," Alia said. "Given Helena designed it…and no, she didn't help me."

"The League is moving into position," Helena said. She figured she would cut off Alia before she did something else to upset Kara. "What do you want us to do?"

"With any luck, nothing," Kara said. The long pause told Kara pretty much everything she needed to know. "But, I doubt we'd have luck…if the monster is on the move."

"He has been sighted in Smallville," Chloe said.

Kara's mind put together a gruesome scenario. Doomsday was heading to the Kent Farm.

"Kara, you need to be careful," Claire said.

"Yes, Claire, I know," Kara said.

Kara appreciated her cousin's concern. She really and honestly did. But she was a big girl and could more and take care of herself in situations like this. She didn't want to be told how to conduct herself as a super heroine.

The Girl of Steel arrived at the city limits of Metropolis. The young woman took a step back to survey the damage. The smashed sign and the ripped fence told her all she needed to know.

"Who knows how many he's….."

Chloe's words trailed off. Kara didn't really need to be told anything. The smell of carnage greeted her the second she made her way into Smallville.

"I'm going to have to hit him with everything I have and hope I can find a way to take him out long enough to….." Kara said.

Kara stopped short and thought about everything she needed to do. The Girl of Steel wondered if she had any kind of solid plan.

"The League is ready to help you if you need us," Diana said.

"I may need you….I need you to meet me outside of Smallville…to stop Doomsday for getting any further, if he takes his rampage on the road."

Kara hoped she could keep him contained. Killing Doomsday looked to be the obvious path and she needed to put down a sick animal. The only question is how would she accomplish this.

"The League is your show now, Kara," Claire said. "They don't answer to me anymore…they answer to you. You truly are a superwoman now."

"Thanks, Claire," Kara said.

Kara shook her head. As much as she liked to focus on her cousin's praise and nothing more, the Girl of Steel needed to kick things up another notch.

* * *

The dead farmer Kara came across looked to be the harbinger of things to come. Several bullet shells littered the ground.

"Nothing can stop him," Kara said. "No human on Earth could stop him."

Kara hoped she could stop him. The Girl of Steel made her way up the rope. A sickening feeling entered the pit of the stomach. The ripped fence she saw and the smashed mailbox leading to the Kent Farm prompted her to move a bit closer. Kara's knees knocked together.

Slowly raising her head, Kara had been greeted by another gruesome sight. The house had been completely totaled. Kara flew into the debris of the house. Her heart raced when she made her way through.

The house which had so many great memories had been destroyed. Kara clenched her first. The monster obliterated everything without a care in the world.

"The house is destroyed, he totaled it…and the barn too…the tractor….he destroyed it!" Kara yelled. She fumed, her eyes glowing.

"Pa's tractor….he destroyed that too?" Claire asked. Her voice broke. "Kara…my mother…is she….."

Claire's words snapped Kara out of her thoughts. Kara made her way into the house and feared what she might have found. The Girl of Steel crept deep into the house, taking in a breath.

"Kara?"

"I'm….I'm not sure, Claire."

Kara didn't know if she could handle it. She made her way around into the corner with what she assumed was once the kitchen. Although given how much Doomsday totaled the house, the kitchen wasn't where it should bave been. She blinked and turned the corner. Hands started to shake a little more when she walked.

The sight she came across next caused Kara to jump into the air.

Kara stared at it for several seconds. She noticed a pair of Martha Kent's shoes sticking out from underneath a large piece of rubble. She almost collapsed onto the ground.

"Kara, what is it?" Chloe asked.

"I think…well…Martha might have been…oh Rao, no!"

Kara almost had a blue screen of death moment at the sight of what happened. She shuffled over towards the large piece of debris and almost collapsed.

"I'm sorry," Alia said. She consoled both Claire and Kara.

Kara didn't say anything in response. Her hands shook when she rolled off the piece of debris. Kara braced herself to see the crushed body of Martha Kent underneath. Once Doomsday set his sights on you, there was no coming back.

Martha Kent's shoes and only Martha Kent's shoes had been placed underneath the debris. Kara bit down on her lip, and she didn't know what to think. Kara turned around.

Just because only her shoes were here, didn't mean the rest of Martha…wasn't elsewhere. Kara hitched in her breath and prepared for the absolute worst. The monster was nowhere around.

Kara crushed the debris in her hand. The way out of the back of the house was rather difficult to navigate.

"We're in position, but no sign yet," Diana said.

"Good, keep me updated," Kara coolly replied.

The sound of a car pulling up to the driveway caused Kara to turn around. She noticed Martha's car pull up to the driveway. Much to Kara's relief, Martha sat in the front seat of the car. She stepped out of the car and looked up.

Kara dropped down in front of a shocked Martha who looked at her house. Martha turned towards Kara.

"Kara, what happened?" Martha asked.

"Doomsday, he happened," Kara said. "I thought you were….I thought you were inside…"

"I was in town running errands," Martha said. She looked at her house. "I heard something about a wild animal causing carnage about town…but I didn't know….I couldn't know."

Martha didn't say another word. She just stared at the house and turned back to Kara.

"You didn't have to fight him, did you?" Martha asked. A fair amount of concern came through her voice.

"No, I just missed him…which means he's somewhere else….I've got to find him," Kara said.

"Be careful," Martha said. "You know what that thing almost did to Claire."

"Yes, I realize it," Kara said. "But, I also know what Doomsday is going to do to countless other people….innocent people….if I don't stop it…..I'll get you to a safe place."

Kara wrapped her arm around Martha and kicked up in the sky trying to take her as far away from Doomsday's path of rage she could.

The two of them ended up in the caves. Kara was certain Doomsday couldn't follow them there.

"Sorry about the house," Kara said.

Martha waved off her words.

"Houses could be rebuild, as long as the people in them are strong," Martha said. "Go stop him, Kara."

Martha hugged Kara and kissed her on the cheek. Kara sent Martha off to the Fortress of Solitude.

"Keep her safe, Lara," Kara said.

"Given she kept my daughter safe for years, it's the least I can do," Lara said. "And he's heading to the outskirts of town….."

"Thanks."

* * *

Diana joined Shayera and Donna. The three of the made it outside of Smallville and acted as if they were some kind of super powered roadblock to stop Doomsday from causing any more damage.

"So do you think we're enough to stop him?" Donna asked.

"We have to be," Shayera said.

Shayera looked forward a return match against Doomsday. She spent more time eating dirt than busting skulls the last time, but this time, Shayera prepared herself. The spirit of a warrior spread through her being. The woman prepared to take her adversary down.

"We will be," Diana said.

"I just wish he would have stayed down the first time," Shayera said.

Diana shared a similar view to Shayera. As an Amazon, she thought she should have had appreciation to all forms of life. However, this monster wasn't one of those things she appreciated. The Amazon cracked her knuckles and prepared for him to come for her.

"I'm not sure he can be put down forever," Donna said. "Claire pretty much said as much."

Diana didn't want to think about the gruesome thought of a monster who kept coming back and kept killing. She tried to see him as a creature which she needed to put down for his own good. Doomsday was a genetic mishap which needed to be put down and kept down.

"At least it isn't this hard to track him," Donna said.

"No, because he's coming right down the road at us."

Doomsday made his way down the road. Shayera decided to greet him first of all. Her mace swung as hard as it could and nailed Doomday on the top of his head. The mace bounced across the creatures head with a solid crack. He swung his huge hand around in an attempt to take Shayera down.

Donna made her way through the other side and tried to nail him with a series of punches. The jabs caught Doomsday hard. The Amazon Princess reared back for the fences and hammered him. She backed him off into the waiting grip of Diana. Diana jumped on his back.

Doomsday shrugged her off like a fly. Donna and Diana locked hands and nailed Doomsday with everything they had. Doomsday staggered back into the swing of Shayera. She nailed him so hard she dented the Nth metal mace she favored as a weapon.

He tried to pluck her off of the ground. Diana used her lasso to ensnare Doomsday's arm. She withdrew a sword from her blade and tried to drive it to Doomsday's chest.

"Hera."

The magically enhanced blade shattered into dust particles when it struck Doomsday in the chest. Doomsday kept walking towards Diana and back handed her out of the way like she was nothing.

Donna walked over and got into an abandoned semi-truck. She hit the gas and drove it straight into Doomsday!

The truck smashed into Doomsday hard! The creature flew several hundred yards back. Donna thought for a moment, the creature had been taken down.

Doomsday lifted his hands over his head and responded with an extremely feral and strangled glow. Donna wondered what it would take to take him down!

Diana returned to the center of the ring and nailed Doomsday with a kick to the back of the neck. More kicks rocked Doomsday. Doomsday caught Diana's leg and swung her like a club, throwing her into Shayera and Donna.

Doomsday reached down and wrapped his large hands around Diana's skull. He prepared to crush her head like an overripe melon.

A figure flew down the road at a super sonic speed, breaking the sound barrier. A huge punch nailed Doomsday in the face and caused him to fly backwards.

Kara dropped down to the ground, an intense look focused on her face. Doomsday looked at her, with recognition dawning on his face.

 _'Good he has his attention on me….time to keep it there.'_

Kara smashed Doomsday in the face with full force causing him to fly. Supergirl flew at her adversary at the speed of light and wrapped her arms around his waist.

She needed to fly him as far away from civilization as possible if this would work.

* * *

Around the time the battle between Supergirl and Doomsday took place, Claire and Alia made their way into the sub-basement of the Starrwave facility.

"So, do you think we have a shot?" Claire asked.

Alia paused for a long moment.

"If you don't want to do this, you don't have to," Alia said. "I'm not going to force you to do it."

"No, I have to do this," Claire said. "If I go down…everything will be alright in the end….I already recorded the message for Kara."

Alia smiled. The message was a failsafe in case things went really wrong. Alia hated to see what would happen if they did go wrong.

"This is your choice," Alia said. "You've come a long way….and it's been an honor."

"It's not over," Claire said.

They made their way into the sub-basement. Several weapons were laid out on the table. Karen walked over and smiled when she looked at Claire.

"Pick your poison," Karen said.

"The suit's ready," Claire said.

Alia smiled. She had to admit she was rather proud with how the suit turned out all things considered. She watched her charge walk over and pick up the sleek black suit. Claire walked into the next room and disappeared for a long moment.

Seconds later, Claire stepped out. The material in the black suit clung to her body. The suit shined sleekly in the light. The only part of the suit which wasn't black was a red House of El crest. Claire stood and took a look in the full length mirror at how she looked.

"You look amazing," Karen said. She snuck a quick look at Claire's ass which looked nice in the black leather she wore.

"Yes, but it's going to hopefully cushion a rather heavy blow when Doomsday gets his hands on me," Claire said.

"You know, it should, and it will," Alia said. "But, remember, it's not going to make you invincible."

Claire lifted up the energy cannon which had been created.

"Be careful," Karen said. She stared at Claire for a long moment. "It packs a serious punch….and I mean that in the worst way. Anyone who gets hit by it, they will go down hard."

"Doomsday isn't just anyone," Claire said.

"No, he isn't," Karen said. She looked at her cousin. "But, I'm confident enough it will get his attention."

"You and I both, Karen, you and I both," Claire said.

She hoped her confidence wouldn't be completely misplaced. They would find out in a couple of moments whether it was or not.

Claire stepped out of the room. She picked up a couple more weapons, as much as she could carry on her person. There was enough weapons in here to take down a small army.

 _'Might need a small army if I have a hope in hell of taking down Doomsday.'_

Claire shook her head to clear the negative thoughts. She hoped to help Kara in any way she could. The fact her mother was safe and out of harm's way set a great deal of guilt off of Claire's heart.

 _'Now, time to finish the job I should have a long time ago…..this is a suicide mission.'_

"You shouldn't blame yourself," Alia said. "I've been down this road…where everything is my fault. Blame happens across several people. It's a dark road if you assume all of the blame."

"Believe me, I don't," Claire said.

Alia reached into pocket and pulled out a bracelet. With a swift motion, Alia snapped the bracelet over Claire's wrist.

"This should transport you to Smallville," Alia said. She activated it to go off in a couple of seconds. "Until we meet again."

"We will meet again."

Claire inclined her head. She knew what needed to be done. At the end of the day, Claire thought it would be better to ask for forgiveness than beg for permission.

* * *

Kara rose up out of a large crater which had been formed. She didn't take Doomsday exactly where she wanted. Cuts formed over her face when the Girl of Steel stared down the most destructive monster the universe had ever seen.

The good news was they landed in a farm town one country over from Smallville. So Kara didn't have to worry about civilian casualties. She lifted herself up off of the ground. Doomsday rushed her as hard as possible.

Kara jumped out of the way of the charging monster. She nailed her adversary with a series of stinging punches to the base of the spine.

 _'My punches shouldn't really be this weak, even against him'_

Kara felt Doomsday lift her up and slam her through the concrete. The Girl of Steel bounced hard into the concrete and it cracked underneath her full weight.

Something about his aura drained Kara. The way he had been brought back, the mystical aura, started to sap Kara's energy like exposure to red sunlight. The Girl of Steel rose up out of the ground. The cracked concrete rested beneath her feet. Kara backed off.

The longer they fought, the weaker they got. Kara's eyes flashed and she summoned all of the energy she could have left.

Two beams of heat vision nailed Doomsday. The creature's skin sizzled and at first, Kara thought her plan worked out well, to at least stun the creature.

Doomsday lifted one hand up and slammed it into Kara's face. Her eyeballs burned like hell when Doomsday knocked the force of the heat vision out!

Reaching down, Doomsday hoisted Kara up by the cape. She struggled to breath when the cape had been wrapped around her neck. Doomsday tossed Kara off to one side like a used chewing gum wrapper. She hit the ground extremely hard and slammed down hard.

Doomsday looked to be ready to finish off one of the Kryptonian survivors he had been programmed to seek out and destroy.

"You wanted your revenge on me for killing you. Well here I am?"

Kara looked up at the sound of the voice. The ringing in her head made it extremely difficult to concentrate for any amount of time. She managed to block out the agonizing sensations in the back of her head in time to look up and see the problem which dropped down next to her.

"No," Kara said. "Claire…no!"

The pounding in the back of her head ceased long enough for her to notice Claire turn up in a battle suit.

Doomsday turned his attention away from Claire. The one who he had been programmed to destroy manifested herself.

Claire activated the gauntlets on her suit and channeled a lethal dose of electricity. The suit protected her from the electricity. The currents shot up and shocked the creature.

Doomsday growled. His adversary stepped forward to engage him with another burst of energy.

Claire stepped forward, ready for what was essentially a suicide mission.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on March 15** **th** **, 2016.**


	59. Chapter 59

Vote for the week 10 chapter of the week at my blog. Link on my profile.

 **Chapter Fifty-Nine: Doomsday Part Three:**

* * *

Helena Wayne walked over to take a good and long look at the carnage the monster caused through his rampage. Thoughts flashed through her mind regarding the events which happened so far. Her mind shifted back to the last time Doomsday had attacked all of those years ago.

Much time passed since Doomsday last attacked. Helena was merely just a teenage sidekick during this time. Claire wasn't quite Superwoman just yet, but trials by fire didn't really wait for any man or woman for this matter. The battle ravaged many and after this battle, Claire was never the same.

Relief spread through everyone when Doomsday had been put under ground where he would hopefully remain for all time. Any relief became fairly short-lived because Doomsday was the harbinger to many other problems. The multitude of problems which followed dogged the newly formed Justice League for quite some time to come.

Helena stepped over. She made her way towards a group of children who had been huddled right near an overturned school bus. She walked over and pried the doors opened.

"What was…what was….what was….." one of the children stammered.

Helena wished to offer some level of comfort.

"You should get to a safe place," Helena said. She escorted one of them out as calmly and patiently as they can. Whitney showed up to traffic the children away to the nearest hospital.

Helena didn't want to admit there would not be any place on Earth which would be safe from Doomsday. The monster became a wrecking machine which would roll over everything and indeed anything in its path.

 _'Kara, hopefully you can stop it….even if it's just putting it down for another five years.'_

Helena turned her head a fraction of an inch, in time for Alia to join her. The woman dressed in a nice sleek suit and if Helena had to hazard a guess, the suit had a function to it.

"I'm here to help in any way I can," Alia said.

"I hope for all of our sakes you have a way to contain the monster," Helena said. Alia glanced at her and offered her a shadow of a smile. "Because the monster is not going to stop its rampage for anyone."

"No, I don't suppose it is," Alia said. She crossed the distance between herself and Helena. "Claire insisted she go out and take care of the monster."

The moment the statement passed Helena's ears she gave Alia one of the longest glares of doom ever. Alia never backed up from the look so it lost a huge amount of the effectiveness it might normally have had.

"And you allowed her to…you allowed her to," Helena said.

"You know how Claire is, she's stubborn and she didn't want to be on the bench when the entire world is in danger," Alia said. "I think if she faces her fears, this will all work out."

Helena disagreed, but they couldn't be at odds. She made a couple of calls to Wayne Industries and there were a couple of high tech devices which might have done them pretty well. Getting them out here on a timely manner would be another thing entirely.

"Kara and Claire are going up against the monster as we speak," Helena said. She stepped towards Alia. "What happens if they fail?"

"Failure is not an option," Alia said.

"But it is an outcome you've thought of," Helena said.

Alia couldn't deny she hadn't thought about what would happen if Kara and Claire fell when they took on Doomsday. She leaned towards Claire with a stone-cold serious expression spread over her face.

"If those two fail, the monster will come after me next."

Helena understood instantly.

"And when it does, will you be prepared to face it?" Helena asked.

"You can never be failed to face a creature as dangerous as Doomsday is," Alia said. She flipped her hair back and grimaced. "I don't have the slightest clue what the General was thinking….he must have lost his mind when he oversaw the creation of the monster."

Helena figured they were pretty much on the same thought pattern. Anyone who created Doomsday must have lost any leave of what passed as senses.

Her father might have come up with a better plan. He seemed to have a plan for everything. The one time he didn't, well he didn't live long enough to tell the tale. Even if he did save many lives in the process, with her being at the very top of the list.

Whitney sped over to face Helena.

"They're all safe….well as safe as they're going to be."

Helena wished she could say any of them would be safe after today's battle. She turned to Alia to speak to her, but there was only one problem. She vanished into the shadows without a trace.

 _'I agree, this is a bit annoying.'  
_

* * *

Kara dragged herself off of the ground. The buzzing in her head signified the angry thoughts she had. She could not believe Claire threw herself into battle against Doomsday.

 _'Why don't you just spraypaint a bullseye on your back? It'd go well with the rest of the costume!'_

Perhaps Kara was being unfair. Perhaps she should think her cousin had some sort of plan. If one good thing came from losing her powers, Claire evolved her fighting style a bit beyond flying into a situation with all of the force of a brick.

"Kara, are you okay?" Chloe asked.

"Well the term okay is rather up for a lot of debate," Kara said. "But….I'm awake….he almost put me through a concrete parking lot though."

"Doomsday isn't slowing down….and whatever plan Helena has, isn't coming through as smoothly as she would have liked it to," Chloe said.

Kara didn't look too surprised of the fact Helena had a plan. Of course Helena had a plan. Why wouldn't she have any kind of plan?

"I'm going to have to pick up the trail," Kara said. "Make sure to keep me updated…..I want to get him further away from civilization."

"Good luck."

Kara thought she needed more than good luck to beat Doomsday. The sentiment was appreciated all of the same.

The one good thing about Claire leading Doomsday off resulted in Kara having time to recover from being exposed by the red solar energy aura. The Girl of Steel leaned back and basked in the sunlight. The energizing rays empowered her body.

 _'Better, much better,'_ Kara thought. The sounds of battle nearby caused her to somber up. _'But why do I not think I'm going to be much better for long.'_

The Girl of Steel blasted through the air as fast as a speeding bullet and noticed Doomsday dropped to one knee. Claire stood over the top of him and whipped out two laser blasters. She pelted Doomsday with an extraordinary amount of energy.

Doomsday rose to his feet and nailed Claire as hard as he could. Kara winced at the back a normal, albeit well trained, human being had been nailed hard by Doomsday.

Claire crashed onto the ground. The shield of the uniform held up pretty nicely underneath the impact of Doomsday. It didn't change the fact the punch Doomsday nailed her with hurt like a bitch and a half.

Doomsday rushed back on the attack and went for another punch. Claire rushed behind him and nailed him with a series of rapid fire punches. The punches combined with the electricity from her gauntlets.

Kara took another step forward and waited to see what Claire would do.

 _'Only jump in at the moment of truth.'_

Claire reached back and blasted Doomday with another extremely lethal dose of electricity. The almost comical sight of the creature lighting up like a Christmas tree was displayed before them. His eyeballs started to bulge out. Claire reached over and fired some kind of poisonous barb directly into his chest.

Doomsday grunted in agony. The creature almost collapsed down his knees. He jerked his head up and focused his angry glare on Claire. He ripped the barb from his chest. The poison slowed him down long enough for Claire to nail him with a series of rapid fire attacks.

Claire pulled out the energy cannon and blasted a concentrated force at Doomsday. Karen wasn't kidding when the cannon packed a punch. The energy blast from the cannon charred the chest of Doomsday and put the creature down to his knees.

"Come on, come at me!" Claire yelled.

She fired another energy blast at Doomsday. She flipped the cannon to the highest setting and continued to bombard the creature with everything it had. Every blast of energy cut through the air and slammed through the creature.

Time passed before Doomsday reached in and put his fist through the cannon. The energy backlash caused Claire to be knocked on her backside. She landed with a solid crack.

The shields still held up, but they dropped to underneath fifty percent of their full power. Not good no matter any way you sliced it. Claire struggled to get herself to a standing position and started to breath heavily.

One of the bone spikes jostled loose from Doomsday. Claire tried to block the creature's attack, but Doomsday charged in and stabbed her directly into the air.

Claire felt the empowered bone spike rip through her knees. She fell to the ground with a searing pain going through body and almost blacked out because of the absolute agony experienced from Doomsday's vicious and violent attack.

* * *

Kara saw red and rushed Doomsday. Doomsday turned his attention to Supergirl and tried to jab her with the bone spike. The bone spike glowed green and Kara realized it would not be in her best interest to be stabbed with it.

The Girl of Steel averted her path and launched herself into the air. She slammed her feet as hard as she could on Doomsday's face. The creature staggered back and Kara dropped behind it. She unleashed the full force of her heat vision at the monster's back.

Doomsday staggered back for a little bit and turned around. The creature's face contorted with an ugly grimace. Kara dropped down and took a deep breath.

Her super breath caused a cyclone of branches and rocks which bombarded Doomsday! The creature staggered back several feet and Kara flew through the wind, before punching him in the face extremely hard. A series of punches rocked Doomsday in the face.

"You aren't going to hurt anyone….ever…AGAIN!"

Kara grabbed Doomsday around the throat and launched him as far as she could throw him. Doomsday started to hurl around the air, the friction burning his body when he flew through the air with an intense force.

Cycling around, Kara gained some momentum by flying almost all of the way around the planet. She came back with fists extended and she nailed Doomsday with the full brunt of both fists which knocked him down to the ground.

Kara hoisted up a miniature mountain over her head. People joked about how she could lift mountains, but this was the first time she technically did this. She brought the rocks down onto the head of Doomsday and utterly wrecked him.

Doomsday poked his head out of the rubble like a rather ugly puppy dog. Kara reached into her suit and pulled out a device which bombarded Doomsday with sonic blasts. The creature staggered and started to rampage, his skull split with agony!

Kara looked over, taking note of her surroundings. She noticed an volcano angrily smoking near she was. She must have took this fight all the way to some remote island from an active volcano.

Doomsday charged Kara like an angry bull. Kara flipped over the top of his head and herded him over. Her red cape billowed in the wind.

The creature caught the red cape and hurled Kara over to one side like she was a rag doll. Kara blasted onto the ground and hit with a thud.

Kara noticed Doomsday launching himself towards her, the bone spike in hand. She blocked it. Sweat rolling down her face from the exertion suffered.

"No, I won't…you won't…."

Kara kicked him hard in the crotch. Doomsday hunched over. Rampaging monster or not, he felt the attack. Kara picked up the bone spike and launched it at Doomsday at super powered speed like a high impact javaline. The creature doubled over and Kara jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms around his head.

"There's only one place you're going!"

Kara launched him all the way to the top of the volcano. The smoke and the ash compromised Kara's vision, but she managed to hold onto Doomsday all the way none the same.

She let go of Doomsday. Doomsday dropped down to the ledge. Kara dropped down next to the monster. The Girl of Steel wasn't really phased by the intense heat….but if she timed this right, the volcano would go off, burying Doomsday in the hardened rock.

Kara hoped it would work. She went with the theory it would work. Making the creature go with her plan or hoping mother nature went with her plan were two different things entirely.

"Come on!" Kara yelled.

Whether or not Doomsday cared enough to rise to her bait, Kara didn't know. The creature gripped onto a large chunk of rock. Kara took advantage of his distraction by flying over to him. She nailed him with a series of punches.

Doomsday teetered back and forth, but Kara couldn't put him down into the volcano soon enough. She was going to have to personally hurl him in.

 _'Well, this could suck.'_

Kara grabbed Doomsday and with a surprising burst of strength hoisted him up onto her shoulders into a fireman's carry. She hurled Doomsday up over the top of her head and caused her to almost be hurled into the volcano.

The very last second, Doomsday grabbed Kara's cape and yanked her into the volcano! The two of them crashed into the volcano.

Claire turned up at the island. She hoped she wasn't too late. The sight of Kara and Doomsday fighting at the top of the volcano greeted her and the next thing Claire knew, both of them fell into the volcano which caused her to recoil in horror.

The volcano spit smoke even more when the two of them disappeared into the distance, their fates undetermined. Claire feared the worst.

* * *

Alia arrived at the island. The headset she created managed to still focus despite all of the interference in her head. She lost touch with Claire and could only barely make out what Karen was saying.

"You better tell me what you need to tell me before we lose connection…things are about ready to get hotter on this island and not in a good way either."

Alia stepped one foot onto the island and shook her head. The smoke grew rather hotter.

"I'm just wondering if your plan will work."

"Claire managed to keep the creature occupied….and she's still alive, despite everything working against us," Alia said.

"You are too good," Karen said.

Alia suppressed a rather smug smile. Now was not the time to get an attack of confidence.

"I wouldn't give myself all of the credit in the world just yet," Alia said. She brushed her strands of hair away from her face. "We're not quite out of the woods just yet."

Alia thought about the creature and all of the danger he posed to the world. She clutched a glass case with a glowing purple crystal inside.

"Do you think it will work?" Karen asked.

Alia took a moment to fully take in her surroundings. The sounds of combat showed her how close she reached her destination.

"I've run the simulations," Alia said. "I know, simulations are not a good enough indicator for reality but….the simulations have run through completely and it should work."

Alia let her statement hang in the air for the longest second.

"There's always a but, isn't there?" Karen asked. Her voice might have been faint. "The League is putting out fires all over the place….although there aren't many now the creature had been taken."

"Kara was smart enough to get him away from civilization," Alia said.

"It's a good enough plan, I would have thought about it myself," Karen said.

"Yes, obviously," Alia said. A bit of humor entered her voice, but she remained otherwise calm. "I'll be perfectly honest….there's something else happening here."

"What?" Karen asked.

"Well, when Brainiac is finally programmed into something more appeasable, our fears will either be confirmed or we will be revealed," Alia said.

She knew what one seemed to be a bit more likely, but Alia was willing to give any situation the benefit of the doubt. She turned her attention back to the crystal in her hand and the monster which continued to rampage on the island.

"The simulations worked well," Alia said. "But there's one point which we kept missing."

"The fact you need to get close enough to him?"

"Exactly," Alia said. "Keep me posted for as long as you can with what is going out on the mainland. I want to…."

Alia heard the very tell-tale sign of the line finally going dead. It held up a fair amount longer than she thought it would, considering the very gruesome circumstances she faced.

 _'And now I'm on my own.'_

Alia ventured further into the island. She wished she could get a better look at her surroundings, but would have to make do with what she had around her.

* * *

Silence almost proved to be bliss during most of the times. For Clara-El of Krypton, she found the silence to be rather unsettling to be honest. She craned her neck to see if she could see anything.

Out of all of the times where she missed her flight, Claire missed it now. The angry rumbling of the volcano caused Claire to stand straight up. She made a movement towards the bracelet Alia gave her to transport her away from the island.

Claire looked up again and realized the rumbling wasn't the volcano. It was Kara. Kara flew herself out of the volcano with the flames surrounding her. Claire watched her and she started to spin like a top in the sky. The super powered spinning launched the lava off of her and caused it to splatter in every single direction.

Her clothes burned completely off and she looked rather dazed. Kara almost fell from the sky. Claire launched a grapnel up and swung over, before catching Kara. She swung over and brought Kara to the ground.

"Thanks," Kara said. She almost collapsed to one knee, fatigued from the insanity she pulled.

"Is he gone?" Claire asked.

Kara took a moment to recover her thoughts. She didn't want to answer the question, for fear of jinxing everything.

A roar cut through the air and Kara's groan followed. Slowly, a creature pulled himself out of the depths of volcano. Holes burned through his chest and his skin looked completely raw. His white bone spikes turned into an ashen color, but he walked forward. His eyes glowed more prominent than ever. Whatever hair he had burned off thanks to going through the lava.

"No, you can't…he's….."

Kara almost deflated in her cousin's arms. Her brilliant plan failed to put down the creature one hundred percent of the way. The hunter continued to move towards his prey, madness burning through his eyes. He stalked the two surviving members of the House of El with murderous intentions on his mind.

Claire checked the power levels of her suit. Twenty five percent of the way, but she diverted all of the power to her shock gauntlets.

Kara set up Doomsday, and Claire would finish off the creature. She reached forward and slammed her hands through the chest of Doomsday.

No matter what, Claire needed to hold on. She channeled a lethal blast of electricity through Doomsday. The creature screamed in agony and wrapped his hands around Claire's throat.

Claire struggled to breath, but her resolve strengthened.

"CLAIRE, LET GO!" Kara yelled.

Claire needed to get away from the creature before it strangled her. Kara moved over, but the volcano blew its top right next to them.

Lava started to spill from the volcano and ooze down. Despite going purple in the face, Claire shoved Doomsday into the bubbling lava.

The shields in her suit burned out and allowed Doomsday to impale her upon a spike. Claire's eyes rolled into the back of her head.

Kara dipped down and pulled Claire off of Doomsday, as the lava threatened to bury him alive. The Girl of Steel pulled hre cousin out of the way.

Alia dropped down in front of them. Doomsday stuck his head out of the hardened rock. Alia activated the crystal and a flash of light engulfed Doomsday.

"Claire, hang on," Kara said.

"No, Kara….it's done, thank you."

Claire drew her last breath and a smile spread over her face as she died in Kara's arms. Kara was in numb shock.

Kara turned to Alia, a simmering look in her eyes hotter than any volcano.

"She knew the risks."

Anger bubbled to the surface, but Kara needed to get Claire out of there. The volcano continued to erupt behind them, as Alia followed her from behind. Kara picked up momentum to get away from her, as far away as possible.

Kara wished she woke up from a bad dream. She sobbed when she held the limp body of her dead cousin.

"Kara, is everything alright?" Lara asked.

Kara couldn't respond due to the fact of the blue screen she mentally suffered.

"Clara….no…no…."

It would be a long flight back to the Fortress.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on March 18** **th** **, 2016.**


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter Sixty: All Things Bittersweet:**

* * *

Normally a victory over the likes of Doomsday could bring great jubilation and relief to the various members of the Justice League. The exact opposite occurred on this day, when one of their own fell in battle. All of them recalled this situation happening many times before. The fall of a comrade always ended up being a situation which heroes dealt with during their time. It never became any easier over the years.

"Superwoman was always the corner stone to our group of heroes," Helena said. She looked around at them. "There were a few times where we never saw eye to eye over her methods. And her ideology was a bit sunny at times, well years ago. She changed."

The words of Helena hung for a few seconds. All of them recalled the change of Superwoman who made her way into Nightwing. They wished it all had been for the better.

"She gave her life to protect the world against a dangerous threat," Whitney said. She hung her head for a long moment and paid respects to a woman which she admired almost as much as her aunt. The Flash family had a very friendly rivalry against the Super Family. "And we should….if there were more people like her, the world would be a better place."

The gaze of Whitney and a few other members of the League directed towards a golden statue which had been built for this occasion. To mark the death of the woman who would be the cornerstone of the League.

Diana lost people close to her in the past. She lost people she fought alongside with in the past. For some reason, the death of Claire stung the heart of the Amazon Princess more than anyone else.

"Any warrior could be measured with how valiantly they fight in battle," Diana said. She managed to keep her voice calm. "Claire, no matter what, always put others before herself. She went out there every day. Whether she had super powers or she didn't have super powers, whether she was Nightwing or Superwoman, you always knew….well you always knew….."

Diana took a long moment to collect her thoughts. Shayera reached over and wrapped her arm around Diana to try and comfort her.

"It's fine," Shayera said. "We all know how you feel."

Diana thanked Shayera for the comfort and the support. The Amazon Princess took a long moment to look towards the statute of their fallen.

 _'Not the first monument we created for a fallen comrade. And hopefully the last.'_

"You always knew she would assist you in battle, no matter what the odds were," Diana said. "She may have had her flaws, but her heart and her determination, even during the darkest hour was not one of them. I'm proud to call her my sister."

Diana managed to hold herself together for a moment. Donna, who sat with Barbara and Kara, rarely saw Diana look so distressed. She went through many trials by fire to get where she was. Every time Diana stepped into battle, she fought valiantly.

"I can't help, but think what would have happened if we had stopped Doomsday before…before it happened," Donna said.

"He would have crushed us all," Shayera said.

Shayera hated swallowing her pride. The bitter taste in her mouth tasted like pollution and corrupted her heart and mind.

"Claire and I…we knew what it was like to be among the last of our kind," Shayera said. "And….despite some….problems….she stood by me. I wish I would have been able to repay her kindness in more ways. She is someone who people should strive to emulate."

Shayera said her respects and a few words.

Lois, who had been quiet, stood up from her seat.

"Superwoman isn't who I respect, Nightwing isn't who I respect," Lois said. "It's a hard working farm girl from Smallville named Claire Kent…who I really admire. She always was….she was always able to help her friends and be there for them. I admit….I've been harder on her than anyone else."

Chloe thought she would see something she rarely ever saw. Lois broke down in tears. The visual looked to be extremely jarring to her. Chloe didn't know what to say and she knew even less of what to do.

"Still, she managed to believe in me and I….I think she was the best friend I could have ever had," Lois said. "My mother told me something….before she died. You never appreciate what you have until she's…she's gone."

Lois dropped down onto the chair.

"We never do," Diana said. "Thank you Lois, I know how hard it was for you…and…you don't need to worry. We won't judge you if you break down."

Chloe decided to stand up next.

"I knew Claire longer than pretty much anyone else in this room…well other than Martha and Kara," Chloe said. "And she befriended me when I was new to Smallville. I felt like I had been a big fish thrown into a small pond. I never thought I'd been able to fit in. Claire never once…always stood beside me."

"Claire always did make those feel at home….but she knew better than a lot of people what it was like to be on the outside," Martha said. "My daughter…she was more human….and…."

Martha broke down into tears. The normally strong woman's resolve almost shattered at the thought of her daughter being gone.

"I'd lie and say everything is going to be okay," Martha said. "The last time I talked to her….I had words to say with her…which I regret….which I wish I could take back."

"Martha, you never knew what was going to happen," Lois said.

Kara remained quiet for a long time. Everyone looked at her to say a few words.

"Claire made me a better person…and I hope to do her memory justice," Kara said.

Kara stepped over towards the crypt. Not the ideal way to mark their recently rebuilt facility. Kara stepped towards the statue.

She wanted to shake her cousin for doing something so reckless. Now Claire was gone, Kara only had one person she wanted to get answers from.

"Thanks for the memories, Smallville," Lois said.

Everyone toasted the memory of a great heroine.

* * *

Kara arrived at SLE headquarters. The Girl of Steel made her way down the hallway with an angry look on her face. Anyone who knew Kara understood how upset she could get.

No one understood how upset Kara became better than herself. Karen stepped in front of her younger self.

"I'm sorry," Karen said.

"You don't need to be sorry," Kara said. "It's her who should be sorry."

Karen sighed. This could be pretty awkward, pretty quick. She hoped to appease the situation. If she had been where Kara was right now, she would be pissed.

"I understand you're upset, and I understand you're guilty," Karen said. "But, being angry won't bring Claire back."

Kara made her way up the set of stairs. Karen followed behind her. The pleas of Kara not to do anything irrational landed om positively deaf ears.

The two women reached Alia's office in a flash. Kara rose her hand to knock, but the door opened.

"Come in, I've been expecting you," Alia said.

Kara could not believe the casual way she spoke. Regardless, she entered the office and walked inside.

"Don't mind the mess….I've been a tad bit preoccupied with what's been going on….I'm sorry I couldn't make Claire's memorial service. I'm sure it was beautiful."

Kara didn't really say anything for a moment. The Girl of Steel sunk down on the chair. Alia offered her a cup of coffee which Kara silently declined.

"I get the feeling you're upset at me," Alia said. "And I perfectly understand where you're coming from."

"You do, don't you?"

Kara fixed a glaze on Alia which nearly burned through her face. Perhaps it could have if Kara didn't hold her heat vision back and decide not to burn her to ashes right now.

"I understand this is a hard situation to come to terms with," Alia said. She picked up a remote control on her desk. "Your cousin died….she took the monster with her."

"You could have banished Doomsday at any time," Kara said.

Alia let the accusation brush off her back. The woman leaned back on the chair. She reached over to help herself to a cup of coffee. A smile crossed her face when taking a long drink.

"I could have," Alia said. She smiled and took a long drink from her coffee cup. "Maybe….but you know…the monster has to stand still long enough."

"You lead my cousin into her death," Kara said.

"Yes," Alia said. "But, I gave her every chance to back out….but when the world is in danger, a true hero has to do what comes natural to her."

Kara's hands slammed down onto the desk.

"Don't….don't put this on her!" Kara snapped.

The office atmosphere became extremely intense for a moment. Alia shuffled through some papers on her desk.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't shove your ass into the Phantom Zone behind Doomsday," Kara said.

"Kara, I need you to see something," Alia said. "Claire knew you'd be upset….and she wanted me to have you watch this."

Kara turned to the video screen which popped up. Claire's face appeared with picture-perfect clarity. Kara folded her arms and waited for her to pop up.

"Hello, Kara," Claire said. "Hopefully, if everything went right, we're watching this video together. After you're yelling at me for being an idiot for going up against Doomsday when I didn't have any powers. Which, I should have now again, if everything goes right….granted, the way I had to get them back was pretty messy."

Kara didn't say a word. Claire obviously paused to get her thoughts together.

"If everything went wrong…well, hopefully you took me to the Fortress," Claire said. "As you learned with your encounter with Metallo, you needed to die for the golden Kryptonite infection to be purged from your system. I thought this for a while….and I thought about having myself cloned and having my mind transferred to a clone, hopefully free of all of the flaws."

Claire took a second to catch her breath.

"But, you know how Bizarro clones get, and there is no guarantee the clones would have the same flaw. You might be thinking Alia planned this entire Doomsday thing and allowed it to play out. But I can assure you, she had no idea. I'm not sure how we would have accomplished this otherwise, getting my powers back…..but I suppose we'll just never know. And you can only guess."

Kara dug her nails into the seat of Alia's arm rest.

"Regardless, don't blame Alia for this," Claire said. "You should know by now I'm more than capable of making my own stupid decisions. All of the times I've went into battle. And don't worry….I'll find my way back…if I'm not already there. Death owes me a favor….long story….really long story."

Kara wondered what Alia meant by Death owing her a favor.

"Claire and I helped Death round up a particularly nasty damned soul which tried to elude his judgment," Alia said. "She's a fairly nice woman…bakes a mean apple pie."

Kara didn't say anything.

"So, Kara, I know until I'm back, you'll hold down the fort as you always have," Claire said. "Remember, I'm truly proud of who you are, and I'm truly proud of what you've done. Don't hold anyone responsible, but myself for this. Alia didn't make me do this. She gave me every single opportunity to back off….and if you're glaring at me right now, I deserve it. And if I'm not there….just…..keep calm."

The video stopped with a long pause.

"Fine, she made the decision," Kara said. "But, if you didn't inform her of how to purge the golden Kryptonite infection….."

"She wouldn't have made the decision," Alia said. "You know she would have always fought Doomsday. And he would have come after her…regardless of what I did."

Kara nodded swiftly. The one point she hated to concede on, she'd give Alia. She hated the woman now with every single fiber of her being, but she had to concede this point to her.

"She's safely at the Fortress, isn't she?"

"Yes," Kara said. "And the security settings have been changed to only allow me inside….and not future me, either, just present me…so don't get any ideas about visiting her."

"Actually, I think it's for the best," Alia said.

Kara didn't really know what to say. She waited for the longest time to see what would happen. A huge part of her wanted to punch Alia in the throat for what happened.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," Alia said.

Kara looked straight into her eyes. She still became a little bit miffed, but there was some sincerity dancing in her eyes.

"We should head back to the Penthouse…it's a less hostile location," Alia said. "We should have a drink…to the memory of Claire."

"Where is your penthouse?"

"A few floors down in this building," Alia said. "It's a lot nicer in the office."

Alia hoped to relax Kara and make peace with her. If her theory was correct, she would need Kara's help for the upcoming crisis at hand. She didn't want to say anything, in case she happened to be wrong.

* * *

The two girls made their way into the Penthouse. Kara looked at Alia for a long moment. Alia made her way towards the cupboard and pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"The best wine in the entire galaxy," Alia said. She stepped over and placed it down on the table. "The proof is in the tasting though."

Kara watched her pour wine from the bottle into the two glasses. She slid one of the glasses in front of Kara. Alia took the glass and made a production out of drinking it.

The Girl of Steel picked up the glass of wine and drank it. She experienced a buzz through her body.

"I know not much effects Kryptonians, so I'm going to have to find something which does," Alia said. "How do you like the taste?"

"It's pretty good, actually," Kara said. "Barbara and Donna made it their mission in life to get me something which could actually get me a bit drunk. I think they'd be pretty sad if they found out they failed."

"A pity to be them," Alia said.

Kara took a few drinks. Now she had some alcohol in her, Kara wanted to ask Alia point blank something. She figured she could get some better answers when taking the calm approach.

"Why did you do it?"

"Why did I do what?" Alia asked.

"Why did you help Claire?" Kara asked.

"I always had a soft spot for strays and for women in need," Alia said. "I saw someone who needed to be guided…and I saw someone who could be a valuable resource."

"So, you saw Claire as a tool?" Kara asked.

Alia could tell Kara's anger almost bubbled beneath the surface. She reached over and grabbed Kara's free hand in an attempt to pacify her before she lost her mind.

"No, I didn't," Alia said. "Well, not over time…but at first I did. Then I grew to know her and respect her. I didn't expect her to last…because I've seen people with super powers attempt to train. The results are rarely pretty when they leave the safety net of her powers."

Alia poured herself and Kara more wine. Kara took another drink of wine.

"But, to her credit, Claire refused to give up," Alia said. "And she became stronger than ever. I don't think I could have been more proud of a person she trained."

Kara nodded. Claire's attitude had become a bit offsetting at first.

"Claire will be back Kara, it might be six months from now, it might be a year from now, but she will be back," Alia said. "Her body will be repaired and she will be back better than ever."

Kara took a long drink from the glass of wine. The buzz she felt happened to be more prominent than anything else ever experienced in the past.

"There's just one problem."

Kara knew there had to be a catch. In a situation like this, there always happened to be a catch. Her gaze focused on Alia for the longest moment.

"What?" Kara asked.

"There's a small chance ,not a big one, but a small one….." Alia said. She trailed off for a second. "She will come back dangerous and feral….and we might have to put her down."

Kara considered it for the briefest second. Her own frustration with this situation had hit her hard.

"It won't come to….I don't even know why you even suggest something like that!" Kara yelled.

She shook her head to clear her head.

"It's a small possibility," Alia said. "If you want me to be up front and honest with you, you have to be prepared for learn things…you might not like to know."

Kara took a deep breath and nodded in understanding.

"You know, be careful what you wish for….."

The frustration of the last couple of days overtook Kara. She looked at Alia who was about to say something else. Kara didn't want to hear the sound of her voice so she did something about it.

Kara's lips smashed against Alia's in an angry and passionate kiss. Her nails dug into the side of Alia's face and tongue shoved deep into Alia's throat, choking her out. Kara backed Alia against the wall.

The actions of the Girl of Steel surprised Alia; but did not necessarily displease her. Kara's tongue dug deep into her mouth and worked into the depths of her throat.

Kara's fingers made their way to Alia's blouse and ripped her top open. A lacy green bra showed out, with her large breasts being revealed to Kara.

"Take me, if you feel the need to," Alia said.

Alia never found herself the submissive, but given the circumstances, she allowed Kara to be in the driver's seat. At least for tonight. Kara removed her skirt next.

* * *

Kara came down from her high, and wondered what the hell she was thinking? The Girl of Steel gathered up her clothes, got dressed, and flew out the opened window.

Alia rested on the busted remains of what was once a bed. She looked down at Karen, who had been face down on the floor in a daze. Karen managed to offer one cutting comment.

"Well, she took out her aggressions on your room more than you."

"I wanted to redecorate this place anyway."

* * *

Alia took some time to recover from her encounter with Kara. The dark haired woman made her way back to the lab from the Penthouse.

She walked over towards a portrait on the wall. The portrait flipped back to reveal a switch. Alia flipped the switch. She tapped her foot while several sections of stone had been removed from the wall.

Alia hoped her theory was far from off. She entered a high tech lab and stopped in front of the computer. Several large screens surrounded her. The screens showed images and landmarks around the world. The images on the screen cycled through the spectrum of light.

 _'Very troubling.'_

Alia walked over to the console. A purple crystal stuck out of the console. Alia walked over and pushed the crystal in cause a presence to blink to light. A figure with blue skin and violent hair along with glowing violent eyes showed up. She wore a silver robe which shined in the light.

"Hello, Alia Dru-Zod. The BrainInteractive Construct Eight Point Zero is online, and ready to serve you."

"Hello, Indigo," Alia said. "I need for you to scan for any interdimensional tears around all of Earth, or it's moon."

"One moment please."

Indigo started to scan. The images appearing on the screen appeared Alia's worst fears.

"Pause and enhance."

Alia looked towards a rift in time and space which was right over a remote area. The rift shined with a purple light.

"When you sent the hunter through, my calculations indicate the rift started to grow at an immense rate," Indigo said. "While sending him through to the Phantom Zone was the preferable action to allowing him to potentially survive and roam free on Earth, there were other consequences you may have wanted to consider."

"Consequences I'm aware of," Alia said. "And now….I have proof it's happening….there's an interdimensional disturbance."

"Yes, and it's a very grim situation," Indigo said. "The Phantom Zone will collide with Earth, unless we find a way to stop it."

"Tell me how to stop it," Alia said.

"As of this moment, there is insufficient data to say how to stop this interdimensional rift," Indigo said. "Or whether or not it could be stopped."

Alia refused to believe Earth was doomed.

"Will Earth be sucked into the Phantom Zone piece by piece, or will….the people on the Phantom Zone be brought here?" Alia asked.

"Either is a possibility we should prepare ourselves for," Indigo said. "Until the rift widens, we will not have enough data to know for sure. I'm sorry."

Alia didn't say anything. She looked out the window. Now she knew, and she had to tell Kara, even though they didn't part underneath the best of circumstances.

"Just one more thing."

"Yes, Alia Dru-Zod?"

"Tell me what became of Kandor."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on April 4** **th** **, 2016.**


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter Sixty-One: Spectacular Team Up Part One:**

* * *

A trio of thugs traveled down a dusty looking tunnel. They illuminated the tunnel with the lanterns dangling from their hands. The lead thug was on the headset and the other two were following his lead. They didn't know whether they were going to be able to pull off this job. Their boss left them pretty much no room for error to be honest.

A red doorway greeted them at the end of the doorway. The door had been covered with a simple lock.

"It's only a simple lock," the man on the other end of the communication headset said. "Therefore, it requires a simple process….do you have the pick?"

"Yeah, I got it right here," the thug said. He produced the lock pick and placed it into the tumbler of the lock. He turned it inside and it acted like a key.

The door swung open without any incident to reveal a rickety set of stairs surrounded by darkness. The thug lifted the lantern to illuminate his way up the stairs.

"Do try and move, you don't have much time before the security guard on the upper level comes back around," the man on the other end of the headset said.

The thug turned to the other goons, one of them looked about ready to drop his lantern. The thug cast him a narrow eyed look.

"Alright move it, we're on a time table," the thug said.

"Three minutes and seven seconds exactly you have to pull off this heist," the man on the other end of the headset said. "You dawdle a second more, and you will run into trouble. This must be pulled off like clockwork."

The men made their way up the dark staircase.

"I have deactivated the alarms on this level….but it's only a temporary measure," he said. "They will kick back on in precisely three minutes."

"Boy, you really have this down to a tee, don't you?" the lead thug asked.

"Yes, timing is everything," the man on the other end of the headset said. "You need to turn around and go to your right…it's the third door, it will have everything we need."

"Alright, we need to get the little device on the other end of that door," the lead thug told his fellow thugs. "We need to be careful and hurry to get the device."

"You want us to be careful and hurry at the same time?" one of the other thugs asked. The rough gentleman took his hand and placed it to the top of his head. "Oh my head hurts!"

The thug opened up the door lock, ignoring the banter from his thugs. They could see a shiny cylinder on the wall.

"Two minutes, do hurry, you need plenty of time to clear the tunnel," the man on the other end of the communication link stated with crispness.

"Right, right, right, keep your panties on," the lead thug said. He snapped his fingers and the two other thugs lifted up the cylinder in their hands.

"Boy, what the hell is in this thing?" one of the thugs asked. His knees buckled in a desperate attempt to keep the device held up in his hand.

"It's on a need to know basis," the lead thug said. "You don't need to know."

The lead thug made his way back into the dusty hallway. He checked his watch, pretty sure they were running against some sort of clock. The seconds grinded on and started to tick down.

"One minute warning…and you need to clear the tunnel by then as well."

The thug's face coated with sweat, but he led his two men down the hallway. They made their way past the same door they came and down a rickety set of stairs.

"Someone's coming, move it!" the lead thug said to the other thugs. The other thugs looked over their shoulders like he was crazy. "I know the guard shouldn't be coming, but someone is coming."

The two thugs staggered down the rickety stairs with the heavy canister dangling from their hands. The first goon turned around and locked the door behind him.

"Thirty seconds."

The lead thug heard the warning and his knees started to knock together. The sweat really started to roll down the man's palms. This was equal parts exciting and terrifying from where he stood as far as he was concerned. The goon closed his eyes and allowed himself to be caught up in the moment.

"Man, talk about….talk about insane," the lead goon said. "Going to end up getting killed out there or something."

"Only two seconds, it could have been avoided."

Little did the goons know trouble had just been barely avoided. A woman dressed in silver, white and black dropped down. She decorated the top of her outfit as a white hoody. The only parts of it which were not white patterned itself in silver webbing. The black pants fit firmly to her curvy frame. The hood pulled up in her face revealed a pure black mask with silver eyes on the other end.

"Late, figures," she muttered underneath her breath. "And I just missed them again….I know I did."

The Spectacular Spider-Woman switched onto her headset and started to tap into the person on the other end.

"Missed them again…yes this the third facility they tapped into this week," Spider-Woman said. "Just missed them, and the heists are like clockwork…..I'll be checking in a little bit, yes."

* * *

A car barreled down the street breaking all speed limits. The two men in the backseat of the car hooped and hollered by the driver turned the corner.

"We're not out the woods yet, she's right behind us," the driver said.

"Well, if she's right behind us, then we'll take care of her," one of the backseat hollers said. He lifted up a gun and pointed it in the air. "She can say hello to my little friend and all that."

"You've been watching too many movies," the driver thug said.

A figure dressed in a sleek black outfit with a red representation of a dragon like creature started to make movements towards them. She raised her hand and aimed a dagger at the car.

"Damn it, we're hit!" one of the goons yelled. The car started to spiral out of control and almost ran head long into the wall.

Nightwing smiled having disabled the car with the most minimal of damage. She dropped down from the skies and landed on the car with one firm movement. She took a hold of the car door and ripped it open.

"Eat lead, bitch!" one of the thugs yelled, unloading the contents of the gun onto the woman on the front seat of the car.

Nightwing rolled her eyes at the man who was firing a series of gunshots at her. She waited for him to get it out of his system before reaching into the call and pulling him out of the car.

The thug launched into the air from her attack. Nightwing watched his progress of him slamming down onto the trash cans and denting them underneath his weight. She smiled and the other thug in the back of the van had been pulled out.

The driver decided not to engage Nightwing on foot, but rather start running. In theory, running from her proved to be some sound strategy, if she didn't have the ace in the hole.

A second figure swooped down from the sky. She wore a pure red outfit with some traces of yellow on it. A domino mask covered her exotic features and her hair had been pinned back. She carried a crossbow in her hand.

"Out of the way!" the driver yelled, brandishing a knife.

"Please," Flamebird said. "Like this hasn't been the first knife some jackass has pulled on me."

Flamebird backed off with a smile on her face and the thug looked back at her, wondering if he should even try and test his luck. It turned out Flamebird didn't give him a chance. She disarmed the knife from him.

She jumped up and nailed her adversary with a huge kick to the chest which knocked him down onto the ground. The thug fell back with blood pouring from his mouth from the impact.

"A little too much, wouldn't you say?" Nightwing asked.

"Hey, he was asking for it," Flamebird said, responding with a slight little shrug of her shoulders. "We broke up this little used car ring, finally."

"I wish I'd say this was the end, but there are still some out there," Nightwing said. "Good job, Ella…you've really improved by leaps and bounds."

"Are we supposed to be using real names out on the field?" Flamebird asked with a cheeky little smile. "And besides, Black Canary made sure I got the best training possible. She might dress like a hooker on the field….."

"Flamebird!" Nightwing said.

"But she dresses like a hooker who kicks ass," Ella said with a smile. She turned towards Nightwing.

Kara didn't really want to encourage her too much, but she smiled. Nine months had passed since her cousin had been crushed by Doomsday. Her body hadn't quite healed. Lara told her it would be a slow process her coming back from the edge. Alia pretty much told her that as well.

The other information Alia gave her, well Kara didn't like it, but she braced herself for it. She had dealt with the Phantom Zone one too many times.

"I think you're living up to the Flamebird legacy nicely," Kara said. She looked at the downed thug who had the ever living hell beaten out of him. "Most certainly you have."

Ella just answered with a slight smile. She would have to live up to the Flamebird legacy the best she could because Barbara took the entire Batgirl thing away from her. Ella hated to admit it, but Barbara really did have a point. She wasn't as cut out to being Batgirl as she thought she was.

"We better go," Nightwing said.

She became Nightwing both to honor Claire's legacy and also to give herself a use to function into the shadows. While a lot of the heat was off Supergirl, there was still a lot of heat. The wheels of justice could move dangerously slow and Kara really couldn't do much about it other than stew.

"The night's still young, "Flamebird said.

"Yes," Nightwing said.

Nightwing was about ready to say to call it a night, but the alarm at the jewelry store brought her out of her thoughts. She frowned extremely deeply.

' _Crime never takes a rest, and neither do I.'_

She wondered when she started to sound like Helena. Regardless, Nightwing and Flamebird prepared to ride in Metropolis. The two vigilantes disappeared into the shadows to see what they could do with another crime.

As Flamebird pointed out, tonight was still young and there was plenty to do.

* * *

After a long night of patrol, Kara and Ella returned to the Penthouse. Dinah waited for them, dressed in a casual white tank top and blue jeans.

"So, how did it go?" Dinah asked.

"I didn't screw up too badly if it's what you're wondering," Ella said.

"She took out a sniper with one shot," Kara said. She looked to be gushing in pride, and Ella tried not to look too pleased with her accomplishments. "And she did excellent at taking out all of the stolen car ring people out there."

"Those people are still giving you trouble, aren't you?" Dinah asked.

"Unfortunately," Kara said. She touched her hand to the top of her head. "But those are the type of people who are always going to give someone trouble."

Way too much trouble as it turned out. Kara thought she had been dealing with the big picture for a long time. The smaller fish gave her more fits then she cared to admit.

Barbara showed up. There was a moment of agitation dancing in her eyes.

"What's up?" Ella asked.

"We have a visitor."

Kara knew if a guest showed up to a penthouse, it would be extremely important. The Girl of Steel turned around the corner. A blonde woman sat on the couch. A black headband covered her head and she dressed in a nice custom made female suit which was tailored for her. Her stocking covered legs were covered.

"Hello, Kara," she said. "My name is Gwen Stacy…..I'm Alia's personal assistant."

"Yes," Kara said. "We've met."

After the night they had together, Kara and Alia lived what could be called a coexistence for the past nine or so months. Kara regarded the girl with suspicion. While Kara knew it was Claire's choice to make the sacrifice she made, she could not help hold Alia a bit responsible.

"I come in peace," Gwen said. "Sorry though, I don't bring cookies."

Kara cracked a smile for the slightest minute. Gwen relaxed for a moment, although she had a sense Kara still was staring her down hard with her eyes.

"Guess, I'm going to have to forgive you for now," Kara said. "Let me guess, Alia sent you with a message."

"Yes, if you'd like to hear it," Gwen said.

Dinah, Ella, and Barbara all stepped in, curious looks etched upon the faces of each girl. They stood back and gave some room for Kara and Gwen to talk to each other.

"We have more data and it's as Alia fears," Gwen said, slipping a slip of paper into Gwen's hand. Gwen took it with a frown crossing her face. "The rift in the Phantom Zone is growing and it will spread sooner rather than later."

Kara took a look at the information. Over the past couple of months, Alia did give her a fair amount of information which made her life a far bit more easier. Still there were times where the information where Alia handed off to Kara caused her to be visited by an increasing sense of dread which she couldn't really get out of her mind.

"So," Gwen said, trying to read Kara's mind based off her expressions. Alia warned her Kara could be a bit broody sometimes, but Gwen was all too used to it. "What do you think?"

"I think I have to double check this," Kara said.

"Alia figured as much," Gwen said. "And if she missed something, she would have liked you to know."

Two heads were better than one and two brilliant minds could figure out what in fact went wrong. Gwen stared at Kara and tried to figure out exactly where she was going mentally speaking.

"I'll look into it," Kara said. "And if I find something else, I'll send her a message."

"Right," Gwen said. "She'd like to thank you for taking this seriously."

"Well the potential end of the world is pretty serious," Kara said. She looked at her. "And how is she doing?"

Gwen took a moment to shake her head and to clear the cobwebs in her head. She could feel Kara's hand placed over the top of hers briefly. Kara let go before Gwen could honestly register it was there.

"She would have come and give you the message in person," Gwen said. "But she's dealing with the crisis….she wishes you the best of luck, and if you need anything….you know where she is."

Kara nodded, appreciating the sentiment. Even with the sentiment in mind, she really didn't want to go to Alia.

"Tell her I appreciate it, but I'll deal with it in my own way," Kara said.

"Right," Gwen said.

"And tell her thank you for the heads up," Kara said. "Transparency does help."

Gwen nodded in response. She really hated to be in the middle of this situation. She knew Alia had her secrets and it could rub some people the wrong way. Obviously to her, these secrets did a good job in rubbing Kara the wrong way.

Regardless of the secrets though, Gwen held a lot of debt towards Alia for pulling her out of a situation which could have been messy.

"So, I'll see myself out," Gwen said.

"Thanks for stopping by," Kara said.

Gwen made her way to the elevator. Kara smiled when she left. She couldn't get too mad at the girl, she was just doing a job. She could tell being Alia's personal assistant would be a difficult job.

"You know, the two of you may have to work together on this," Barbara said.

"With the resources of the Fortress, I think I can fix this," Kara said. "I'm just going to need more information."

"And what if you can't?"

Kara brushed off the armor piercing question come from Barbara. The word "can't" never once entered Kara's vocabulary.

' _I can do this, I really can do this.'_

* * *

Spider-Woman turned up at the scene of the crime. The criminals performed their fourth crime in several weeks like clock work. They got in, they got out, no muss, no fuss, and most frustratingly at all no clues left at all.

"They can't be this perfect," Spider-Woman said. "They're going to have to leave some kind of clue of some sort."

The spectacular heroine looked around and tried to search for a clue or two.

A dark figure swooped down from the sky. Spider-Woman stepped back, taken aback by the arrival of the newcomer. She tensed herself up and prepared for a battle.

Spider-Woman faced off with the one and only Nightwing. The two women locked eyes with each other with an intense stare down to follow with the both of them.

"Nightwing, I presume," Spider-Woman said. "Funny, I thought you were taller and a brunette."

"Funny, I thought you were funnier…..Spider…Girl isn't it?" Nightwing asked.

Spider-Woman shook her head.

"Spider-Woman, actually."

The tension could be cut with an overly large knife between the two heroines. Spider-Woman wondered how Nightwing would react to her. Given the two had a very tense encounter not even three hours ago under their civilian guises, Gwen didn't know what to expect from her fellow vigilante.

"So?" Spider-Woman asked. "We're not going to do the entire….two super heroines have a misunderstanding and fight thing are we?"

"No, it's been done," Nightwing said. She shuddered at the very thought. "It's been overdone in fact."

"Oh, you mean we don't get to do an obscene amount of property damage which makes us look worse than the villains we fight," Spider-Woman said. "So what are you doing here?"

"Investigating a heist," Nightwing said. "The thieves just barely escaped before I got here."

Nightwing realized if she had been a second faster, things might have been different. And she was extremely fast to begin with.

"Oh, you as well?" Spider-Woman asked.

"Why, have you been….."

"Yes," Spider-Woman said. "Three nights, three robberies, all of them done like clockwork. No security, no alarms….at least until after the fact."

"It's almost like someone is ringing the alarms after the thugs have escaped with whatever they've stolen," Nightwing said. "Do we have any idea what they've stolen?"

"No, not really," Spider-Woman said. Frustration started to mount in her tone of voice. "So we skipped the entire fight thing? How do you feel about doing the entire team work thing?"

Nightwing looked at Spider-Woman. Having been in the woman's presence under her civilian guise about five hours ago, it was easy to figure out Gwen Stacy and Spider-Woman were one in the same. She did disguise her voice, but Kara had an ear for these type of things.

"So, are you going to be a part of Spider-Woman and her Amazing Friends?" Spider-Woman asked. Nightwing raised her eyebrow in response. "Yeah, I know it's a bit of a cornball name and a work in progress, but…"

Nightwing extended her hand much to Spider-Woman's relief.

"I got the feeling you didn't like me," Spider-Woman said, taking her hand.

"Just had a long last few months," Nightwing said, grabbing their hand together.

With the super friends handshake out of the way, the two women prepared to go off to investigate the crime.

' _Let's hope two heads are better than one,'_ Spider-Woman said.

"So, what do we know about these crimes?" Nightwing asked.

"The only thing we know about them is they're done by clockwork. The thugs doing so….I don't know. Someone has to be a master tactician if they're able to get them in and out."

Not only get them in and out, but get them in and out with any superheroes or civilians seeing them. Nightwing smiled, figuring they would be in for an extremely long evening tonight. One of those feelings visited her.

"No leads at all," Nightwing said.

"Sadly, no," Spider-Woman said, wishing about as much as Nightwing did she had something anything more to go on.

' _Guess we're just going to have to wing it.'_

* * *

A nondescript gentlemen dressed in a suit sat in the midst of the clock tower. He reached over to take a medication bottle and pour two pills out. The pills dropped into his hand and he slipped them into his mouth. He reached over to the water dispenser and took out a glass of water. He drained it and felt a little bit better although still rather weak.

He pulled out a flow chart which had detailed information of the various heroes around the city, their average reaction time to crimes, along with the MCU, and their average reaction time. Planning out crimes to outrun someone faster than a speeding bullet was a challenge.

It was a challenge William Temple Fugate, better known as the Clock King, would be able to handle without any problems at all.

"You nearly ran into Spider-Woman and Nightwing both at the same time," Clock King said. "And now, they're working together, your margin is error has decreased, my friends."

"Hey, we're going to get what you need, boss, no sweat."

"You should be sweating, my simple friend," the Clock King said, his lips curling into a slight smile. "You've been getting a bit complacent. I've been allowing you too much time. You're letting the clock chase you. There's no time, no margin for error."

He needed the final component for his device. The Clock King wanted revenge on all who wronged him. The doctors gave him only a year to live, if he was fortunate. The cancer threatened to overtake his body at any moment now. While he was weak, his mind remained strong.

"Boss, I don't know what….."

"David, I could fill several books full of things you don't know," Clock King said. "Your blissful unawareness has lost a fair amount of its charm. And you've got two minutes….the clock will start ticking the minute I disable these alarms."

"Two minutes, we can't pull off a heist like this in two minutes!" David exclaimed.

"If you had left with time to spare on the last heist, perhaps you wouldn't have a problem," Clock King said. "Nightwing was right behind you. It was a small favor the buildings were lined with lead thanks to Mr. Luthor. If they weren't, you would have compromised everything."

The Clock King sighed. So hard to find able minded help these days. The thugs would get crushed in a fight as well. They were all muscle, but no skill.

"Remember, in approximately thirty seconds, the alarms will be removed," Clock King said. "And you have two minutes. Don't blow it."

Clock King could feel it. One more component and the sands of time would be running out on the people of Metropolis. He would die a rich man if all went according to plan.

' _It's a pity I have to rely on simpletons to carry out my work. But such is the nature of this grand scheme.'_

"The clock is ticking. Two minutes. There is no room for error."

One hundred and twenty tiny seconds to pull this one off. The most vital component for the Clock King's plans could be in his hands if they did not bungle this.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on April 11** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _My favorite Marvel Girl and DC Girl teaming up. Well this was only inevitable._

 _Clock King must be one of the worst employers to work for, other than the mob bosses who will kill their own men for the hell of it._

 _Nightwing and Flamebird are on the streets, although Kara will be back as Supergirl in due time. She's just in a rough period right about now. And the tension between her and Alia continues, but it's just yet to build to a climax. Um, yeah._

 _See you next Monday._


	62. Chapter 62

_Vote for the Week Fourteen Story of the Week on the Blog.  
_

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty-Two: Spectacular Team Up Part Two.**

The sands of time grinded by at a quick rate when the goons did their best to wrap things up and get moving. The schedule caused them to move a bit sloppily and they started to make some mistakes when the seconds started to run out on them. One of them fumbled with the latch he held and almost dropped it down onto the ground. The other thug prevented him from making too much of a fool out of himself, even though the ship had already passed on that. The thug grabbed his arm and prevented even more trouble from happening.

"You're running out of time," the Clock King said. "You have precisely thirty seconds before they arrive. And you need to move quickly."

By the time the Clock King wrapped up his warning, the goons had far less than thirty seconds. They threw the component into the bag, the last of the component.

"Run, now."

A swoosh could be heard and a figure blocked the tunnel on one end. The thugs backed off, thrown completely out of their element. The figure dressed all in black and stuck a heroic pose when standing at the end of the tunnel, staring down her adversaries.

The thugs turned around with the most obvious and transparent attempt to try and leave. The thug stumbled backwards and tried to race down the tunnel. A line of sticky webbing caught him from behind and turned him around. Another figure, dressed in black and white dropped down and caught him with a punch before webbing him to the ceiling.

"I wouldn't go anywhere too soon, boys."

Spider-Woman came on one side and Nightwing came on the other side. The two thugs left between them were extremely terrified to be honest. Especially when they saw they were down a man.

"What do we do, what do we do, what do we do?" one of the thugs asked.

"I told you, you had to be out of there in time," the Clock King said. One of the thugs pulled a knife on Spider-Woman, but the web slinging heroine yanked it out of his hand and caused him to drop down onto the ground.

The other thug lifted up a power drill and rushed towards Nightwing with a mighty bellow. He tried as he might to take her out, but Nightwing avoided the point of the drill, drilling her in the head. A few swipes of the drill nailed against the wall.

Nightwing grew rather amused by his actions for a few seconds, but her amusement gave way to boredom. The Girl of Steel heated up her eyes and used some heat vision to take out the drill. The goon dropped it on the ground and cursed.

"Just hang tight for a moment, and I'll think of an alternate way out of here."

The thug removed a gun and started to fire at Nightwing. The bullets started to nail the chest plate of the adversary.

"Are you serious?" Nightwing asked. She raised her hand and flicked the gun out of his hand. "You should know better by now."

The thug pulled a taser out and jabbed it towards Nightwing. Nightwing whipped her hand out and blocked the taser with his hand. She caused the electrical burst to go through her.

"We're down two men, boss," the third thug said. He pulled a torch out of the wall and started to swing it like a sword. Evne though he was running out of room.

"Yes, I'm aware," the Clock King said. "The backup team will arrive in approximately forty-five seconds. See if you cannont get knocked out by that point."

The thug responded with an obvious groan. He wasn't making any promises, especially considering the fact the torch in his hand had been knocked out by Spider-Woman. The thug staggered back a few steps and his heart kept racing with an intense fury. He couldn't believe this happened, but at the same time, he could believe this.

Another group of thugs made their way down the tunnel, just like clockwork, and lobbed a silver orb to the ground.

Spider-Woman's experienced a dull buzzing in the back of her head. The orb lit up and caused a moderate explosion.

"We need to go!" the leader of the new group of thugs yelled. His fellow three thugs scooped up the items the other thugs got from the lab.

"Yeah, good plan."

"Not, you, your usefulness has ended," the leader of the new group of thugs said.

He produced a knife from the sleeve of his shirt and stabbed into the new thug. The thug gurgled, blood coming from his mouth before he slumped to the ground.

"Well, we've got another….."

The word problem never quite passed from Kara's lips on the account of the tunnel blowing up on the other side and collapsing. The debris flew at them and a large piece clipped Spider-Woman in the arm.

Spider-Woman howled with an unbelievable amount of agony passing over her frame. She could not believe how hard or how quick the debris struck her.

"I need to get you out of here," Nightwing said, holding her up.

"Good plan," Spider-Woman said, wincing at the agony. "Really good plan."

The tunnel collapsed and they flew out of it. The duel purpose of it separating them from the second group of thugs along with squashing the first.

Spider-Woman thought it could have gone better. Then again, any time where something didn't end with her getting seriously maimed qualified as it going better.

* * *

The Clock King sat at the edge of his throne, for the lack of the better term. The planner started to breath heavily. He breathed heavily to a point where sweat started to drip down his face. One little miscue threw the entire night's schemes out of disarray and what was worst, the heroes got involved.

"Not tonight, not tonight, of all nights, I can't handle this," The Clock King said.

The Clock King fumbled through his cabinet and produced a bottle of amber liquid. He produced a cup. His hands were shaking. Everything was laid down perfectly and now everything was thrown off course.

"These buffoons, I give them a plan so slick and so seamless even a primate can follow it and now…now they give me this," the Clock King said.

His fumbling hands poured himself a drink. A wild expression locked onto the Clock King's face. He took the drink and practically downed it in one shot.

The last part of his plan almost was here, but how could he enact it when it was so thrown off. He couldn't exactly improvise, but William Temple Fugate had no choice.

The Clock King drummed his fingers. Breathing exercises brought the man into a happier place and allowed him to calm down. He would need to be in a better place to chat with these beings of significantly lower intelligence. The Clock King rose a hand to the side of his face and pressed it in.

"Another drink, one more drink, before I proceed forward."

Never one to partake in an access of alcohol, the Clock King took his poison of choice down his throat. A swig of the alcohol warmed the Clock King up and a smile crossed over his face. Now he had the energy and most importantly the patience to talk to them.

"Clock King to second hands, Clock King to second hands, do you read me?"

"Yeah, loud and clear boss," one of the thugs said. "It was a close shave, but we got out of the trouble. Hopefully Spider-Girl and Wingnut got their's."

"It's Spider-Woman and Nightwing," Clock King said. "And you should know one collapsed tunnel is little to deter a pair of superheroes."

"But, what if they bought it this time, boss?" the thug asked.

Clock King clutched fingernails to the top of his head and only just barley surpassed the urge to rip out hair by the scalp. So difficult to find good help these days. So difficult to find help who had the ability to think more than their next primal urge. The Clock King tried not to weep, because it would be undignified of it.

"You should never make assumptions," Clock King said .

"Right, you know what assumptions are…."

"Yes, I'm not too fond of that saying," The Clock King said. "It's crass, but yes, in the end, it's accurate. But, they are the tools of fools. Which you should remove them from your arsenal post-haste."

The Clock King's rapid fire delivery managed to confuse the goons.

"Despite the failures of your predecessors, you did manage to obtain the second to last component I need," The Clock King said. "And now….we will proceed with my master plan."

"Boss, what is this master plan?"

The Clock King smiled and decided to enlighten them on a few home truths.

"For too long, I've been victimized by those who thought I was eccentric," The Clock King said. "Metropolis and their favorite son, Lex Luthor looked down upon me. They thought they had power."

"Sir, isn't Luthor….."

"I implore you not to interrupt," The Clock King said. His speech didn't leave any room for interruptions, if the Clock King wished to finish it in a timely manner. "And now this city will pay. Unless they're willing to pay me a king's ransom, they will all be crushed. Time will not be on their side."

Clock King fired a smirk off, the dramatic nature of having finished the speech.

"Oh, and my dear second hands, I do hope you liberate the final component, if you're a second late, I'll take more drastic measures to deal with your failure."

"Like what boss?" one of the thugs piped up.

"Something along these lines would work," the Clock King said, pressing a button.

Clock King waited and an electric charge flowed through the headset of one of the thugs. The sound of the thug screaming in agony and dropping to the ground caused him to hit the ground extremely hard.

"This is just a friendly reminder what happens to those who fail me," The Clock King said. He touched his fingers underneath his chin and fired one of his more twisted smiles. "But, I know none will fail me."

"No, boss, surely not, boss."

Those words sang in the Clock King's ears like music. He prepared to head forward to the next phase of his grand plan.

* * *

Gwen winced when Kara wrapped up her arm at the penthouse. Their masks were no off, because since they were working together, all pretense should be dropped. Gwen sat on the changing table, dressed in a long shirt and her panties, with Kara running her hands over her arm to check for any injuries.

' _Thought revealing my secret identity would be more dramatic,'_ Gwen thought. _'But I guess, she could have looked through my mask at any time.'_

"You didn't seem too surprised who I was," Gwen managed.

"You should stay still," Kara said. "I don't want to risk any more permanent injury when I wrap this."

Gwen smiled, she didn't want to risk any more permanent injury as well. Kara's hands worked over her shoulder quite well and pretty much patched up the damage. The web slinging warrior smiled.

"So, what's the prognosis, doc?" Gwen asked.

"You didn't break anything, bruised it, and it's likely going to be a pain to move," Kara said.

"Maybe, maybe not," Gwen said. "I do heal rather well."

Kara smiled and watched the bruises slowly fade before her eyes. She wondered what other surprises Gwen and her amazing powers held before her.

' _Suspect I better stick around and find out.'_

"And you never did answer my question."

"Well, you seemed to know who I was," Kara said. Her tone grew a couple of shades darker when she spoke the last question. "Did Alia tell you?"

"No she didn't," Gwen said.

For some reason, Kara relaxed a little bit. Gwen knew about the tension between Alia and Kara, but she didn't want to step into the middle of it.

"Did you peak underneath my mask with your X-Ray vision thingy?"

Kara paused for the longest time. Gwen couldn't see her because her head leaned down, but Kara cracked the slightest hint of a smile over her face.

"No," Kara said. "I only used my X-Ray vision to see what you looked like naked just now."

Gwen made an instinctive movement to cover up. Only a scant second passed before she realized Kara could likely see through any attempts to cover up as well. She looked up for a moment and noticed Kara breaking out into laughter at the sight on her face. Gwen's scowl deepened the more Kara broke out into a raucous fit of laughter.

"The look on your face is kind of priceless," Kara said with a smile on her face. She looked Gwen straight into the eye and almost broke out into further laughter.

"Glad you're….wait you were having me on, weren't you?"

Kara smiled and sat down. Curiosity brimmed the surface from the Girl of Steel.

"So, how exactly did you…how did you hook up with Alia?" Kara asked.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story," Gwen said. "I'm not from around here."

Kara cracked the slightest hint of a smile. There was whole lot of not being around here going on around here.

"Oh, I'm not surprised," Kara said. She could see Gwen's eyes locked onto hers and Kara smiled in response. "Very well, finish your story."

"Thank you," Gwen said. She took a moment to collect her thoughts before getting into what she wanted to say. "Anyway, as I was saying, I'm not from around her. I got my powers, after being bitten by a genetically altered spider. Spent a few years fighting villains, some of them with outlandish gimmicks."

Kara lowered her head to shake it. No matter what the universe, one thing didn't really vary. There were always some outlandish villains with some even more outlandish gimmicks.

"But, I ran into one of the more dangerous enemies I've ever faced," Gwen said. "A tyrant named Kang the Conqueror….he came from the distant future. And he wanted to return to the past to conquer it."

A moment passed when Gwen tried to collect her thoughts. Kara smiled and waited patiently.

"I fought him and chased him through a time tunnel," Gwen said. "Unfortunately, by going through the time tunnel, it created a paradox which caused my universe to collapse. And most of everyone I knew and love died"

Kara's frown deepened. Boy had she been down this particular road before? One planet blowing up sounded to be quite dangerous and a big tragedy. The tragedy of an entire universe being destroyed; Kara couldn't imagine it.

"Oh," Kara said. "I understand."

Gwen nodded. She didn't want to seem too agitated or too agonizing. The spider empowered crime fighter allowed herself more than enough time to recover from this. The trip taken down angst lane passed a long time ago, and Gwen happily moved on with her life, at least for the most part.

"I was one of a handful of survivors," Gwen said. "And thankfully, found by Alia before I got lost in time. I know….I know you've had your share of problems."

Kara snorted at Gwen's statement.

"Understatement, I know," Gwen said, cracking a slight smile at her companion. "But, she honestly feels back about what happened with Claire. The Dragon doesn't show it sometimes, but she shoulders a lot, a lot of guilt."

Kara regretted some of the things which happened as well. The Girl of Steel touched her hand onto the table right next to Gwen.

"I know you're loyal to Alia, and it's for really good reason," Kara said. "She took you in and gave you a job…and I'm sure she gave you the bankrolling you needed um….Spider-Woman?"

Kara wouldn't have chosen the name Spider-Woman, but then again, she had a lot of room to talk.

"Hey, it makes sense," Gwen said. "I was bitten by a genetically altered spider. I was Spider-Girl for a few years, and upgraded to Spider-Woman. Because there is…no longer a Spider-Woman in this dimension. And before there were about three or four people who had the moniker."

Kara smiled at the thought.

"Guess spider themed heroines were pretty popular back home," Kara said.

A buzzing occurred in Kara's ear and brought her attention away from the conversation.

"Yes, Chloe, what is it?" Kara asked.

"I did some digging," Chloe said. "And I found out some information about our Clock King."

Kara cleared her throat to give Chloe the incentive to continue with giving the information she dug up.

"And his name is William Temple Fugate," Chloe said. "He's a former lawyer, businessman, and he's a ruthless tactician. He fired his personal assistant once for being two seconds late for a meeting. So, yeah, slight touch of OCD there."

"Just slight?" Kara asked.

"The components he's building….well they're based off of a blueprint for an unfinished invention from one of our old pals, Doctor Ivo."

Kara groaned, of course it would have to be someone like Ivo.

"What does this device do?" Kara asked.

"In theory, he could warp the fabric of space and time, "Chloe said. "Or, if you want to get more technical, it could dull the reflexes of everyone in the city. Most likely though….it will end up blowing up the entire city."

"Wonderful," Kara said.

"Well, he needs one more component and it's at STAR Labs," Chloe said.

"Of course," Kara said. She touched her hands to the side of her face. "I'll warn Patricia of it."

* * *

The Clock King's second hands worked down an underground tunnel which lead to an abandoned warehouse and stopped underneath of STAR Labs.

"I cannot say this enough, you're working against the clock," Clock King said. "I will not tolerate failure this far into the mission. Nightwing and her friends may have already figured out I'm behind this scheme."

"Boss, we'll do it."

"Don't just say you're going to do it, go and do it," Clock King said.

The thugs continued to walk down the tunnel, preparing to carry out the Clock King's crazy crimes. Sweat rolled down the faces of the large gorillas.

"Well, this complicates the matters, "Clock King said, the moment his second hands reached the tunnel.

"What, what…what's so complicated?" one of the goons asked. "We just get your shit and get out."

"As normally as your crass explanation would apply, it's not as simple as you're making it out, my simple friend," The Clock King said. "Someone determined our scheme and now STAR Labs is on high alert. You have only one minute and nineteen seconds to get the component and get it quick."

"One minute and nineteen seconds?" the thug asked. He gave a sound like a swift and heavy fist punched him straight in the gut. "Oh come on, no one can pull this out in a minute and nineteen seconds!"

"It's pretty impossible," the goon said.

"Then I suggest you figure out a way in your simple brains how to make the impossible possible," Clock King said. "The moment the door opens you're on a very tight clock."

The only reason the thugs even entertained helping the Clock King was the fact he paid well. Paid well enough for all of them to put up with an ample and obvious amount of abuse.

The men scrambled up to the stairs, almost tripping over their feet. They rushed into position in an overly comedic way.

"There's a guard!" one of the goons shouted.

"Get rid of him!"

The goon whipped out a stun gun and stuck the guard in the ribs. A shocking pulse erupted from the guard and the goon dropped to the ground. The other two thugs scrambled around. One of them activated the lock on the vault and pulled it open.

"Come to Papa."

The goon lifted the black box out of the vault and didn't waste any time. He bolted down the stairs, with his goons following him.

"Ten seconds."

The Clock King's warning signal caused all of them to grow increasingly nervous. The goons scrambled all the way down the steps in horror.

"Sorry, chumps, but I'm going to clear this one," the lead thug said, blowing past the rest of his team and taking the component down the steps.

The thugs gave sounds of anguish they had been left behind. The leader of the pack sprinted down the tunnel.

"I have to say, you've shown a great deal of ambition," Clock King said.

A figure whooshed down the tunnel and grabbed the goon around the throat before pushing him against the wall. The box containing the core almost flew to the ground.

Spider-Woman launched a line of webbing and stopped the box from landing against the ground. Nightwing grabbed the goon and hoisted him up.

"Where is the Clock King?" Nightwing asked.

A pulse of electricity coursed through the goons headset and shocked the ever living daylights out of him.

"I've managed to trace the signal," Chloe said, before they had time to react. "I think we've got the bastard."

Kara certainly hoped so to be honest, she certainly hoped so.

* * *

The Clock King's hideout looked to be the place where you would expect the self professed master of time to hang out. An old worn out clocktower, buried in the heart of Metropolis.

Spider-Woman and Nightwing entered the clocktower, half expecting to run into some kind of trouble. They walked towards a large chair and a series of monitors. The monitors locked into several security feeds all around Metropolis, showing the insides of some of the top buildings.

"So, this is how the Clock King managed to keep an eye on everyone," Nightwing said. She was impressed beyond belief.

"Imagine the blackmail material he's gotten just by these cameras," Spider-Woman said. She noticed a problem straight away. "So, where is the crafty master of clocks anyway?"

The security monitors started to flicker. An older and nondescript man appeared, sitting in a study. He had been surrounded by clocks, each in synergy. Twenty four in total and switched to every single time zone in the world.

"If you're receiving this message, Nightwing and Spider-Woman, I'm certain you've found my hideout, thanks to the signal you traced," Clock King said. "I planned for this contingency and moved to a secondary location. Every action I take is part of a grander scheme. And you may have saved the power core, but my men will be back in greater numbers."

"Oh, and we'll just kick the asses of your greater numbers," Spider-Woman said.

"No doubt, by now, you have fired off what you assume in your simple little minds to be some kind of heroic quip," the Clock King said. He smiled and allowed himself a brief roll of his eyes. "But I can assure you, no one is impressed by the simplicity of your statement."

The floor plates slid open and three identical bombs rose up. Each of them had a timer completely in sync and they were counting down to about three minutes from now.

"Lead, damn it," Nightwing said.

"You can either disable the bombs, or stop my men," The Clock King said. "And no, Nightwing, you can't speed to STAR Labs to stop my second hands from reclaiming the core, because this is a two person job. And the explosion will level half of Metropolis…at the very least, if one person attempts it."

Nightwing gritted her teeth. Talk about someone who has thought of everything.

"Ladies, the clock is ticking, and Metropolis is in peril," the Clock King said. "Of course, you can decide to stop my plan, but I think we both agree what action you'll take."

Nightwing and Spider-Woman turned their attention to defuse the bombs.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on April 18** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _That Clock King is pretty crafty, a bit too crafty for his own good. And not exactly the best boss to work with._

 _And the team up between Gwen and Kara continues. At least they get along better than Alia and Kara, for now. And Gwen's backstory of how she got here will come back in a big way much later on._

 _Next Monday, the final part of this arc becomes live._


	63. Chapter 63

_Week Fifteen Chapter of the Week Voting is Live. Link on Profile.  
_

 **Chapter Sixty-Three: Spectacular Team Up Part Three.**

* * *

Three bombs lined perfectly in a row in front of Kara and Gwen. The order of where the bombs were placed no doubt were very meticulous, because the Clock King would demand no less from his efforts. All of the bombs lined with lead to prevent Kara from taking a peak underneath the hood. The Girl of Steel stared as she might. Seconds later, these bombs would explode and send them all on a way ticket straight to Kingdom Come.

"Well, there's no doubt in my mind he's telling the truth," Chloe said in Kara's ear.

Kara figured out about as much to be honest. The time ran out. She reached forward, but Gwen snapped her hand onto her wrist. The Girl of Steel almost flinched because of the sudden contact. The spider themed heroine turned towards Kara.

"I've got an idea how we can disarm these bombs," Gwen said. "You're going to have to trust me though."

Given the circumstances, Kara pretty much had no choice, but to trust Gwen. Gwen got to work right next to the bombs, touching her fingers onto them. She retracted a hand from the first one like it was hot fire.

"No, not this one," Gwen said. She closed her eyes, focusing in the zone. She reached over and touched the second bomb. The second later, she retracted her hand. "Not this one."

Kara gritted her teeth in thinly veiled frustration. She didn't mean to hurry Gwen along. The clock did in fact grind down.

"Okay, okay, no sweat, no problem, it has to be this one."

Gwen grabbed the edge of the bomb and popped it open. It revealed a complex set of wires. Gwen ran her fingers against them, frowning.

"Okay, red, blue, purple, yellow, cut them in that order," Gwen said.

Kara did what she was asked, using her heat vision to cut the wires. The timer froze on this bomb, but it didn't freeze on the other two bombs. The timers kept grinding down with it's countdown for the final destination. Kara could feel the pressure hitting her suddenly and hardly.

Gwen reached between two of the bombs. The heroine's sticky fingers found the top of the bomb and she pried it open without any problems.

"Red, blue, purple, and yellow again," Gwen said.

Kara fired her heat vision blasts at the wire, cutting them completely free. Never a dull moment on this job. The alarm shuddered to a stop much like the second bomb. The timer was blinking down with plenty of time to spare, at least Kara thought.

Gwen touched her hands on the third bomb and gently pried the top off of it. The spider themed heroine ran her hands down the wire.

"Different combination this time," Gwen said. She could see the timer reach thirty seconds. "Okay, black, silver, red, purple, and yellow, in this order."

Kara disarmed the bomb with precision. The last wire had been cut with one second to spare. The Girl of Steel's face cracked into a triumphant smile.

The longest pause followed when they waited to see whether or not another bomb would kick on. The Clock King would be the crazy bastard who would be devious enough to put another bomb in.

"I think we've done it," Gwen said.

In celebration, Kara threw her arms around Gwen and pulled her into a hug. Spider-Woman was surprised, but never the less returned the hug Nightwing gave her. The two of them latched together in a steamy little embrace with each other. The two looked into each others eyes. Seconds passed when Kara came close to leaning in to touch Gwen's lips through her mask.

"I'd hate to break up this moment," Chloe said. "I know, I have to be the person who ruins the part."

Kara pulled away from Gwen. She tried not to look too embarrassed at the fact emotions got the better of her.

"STAR Labs," Kara said. "Please tell me the new security held."

"I'm patching into the network right now," Chloe said.

Kara wished she could feel more optimistic than she was right now. The problem with all security was very little of it was foolproof. STAR Labs had several state of the art security systems which had been compromised in the past.

The Girl of Steel speed over there, leaving Spider-Woman standing in the dust.

"So, what's the story?" Gwen asked.

"Oh, we just missed the Clock King by a few minutes," Kara said. "They tunneled in from underneath the vault."

"There was a blind spot in the security, and he found it," Patricia said, jumping onto the communication network. "It just goes to show you…."

"No security is completely airtight," Gwen said.

The next move was in the court of the Clock King. If his Doomsday Device had been built, and Kara had no doubt to say it was in the process of being built, he would be giving a grand proclaimation and given his demands.

"So, I guess all we have to do is wait and figure out his next move," Chloe said, summarizing Gwen's thoughts, along with Kara's nicely. "Wait for him to speak up and give his little supervillain spiel. And then we'll nab him."

* * *

Metropolis bustled in the early morning hours. Countless citizens walked on their way to work, when suddenly, the jumbo tron in the middle of the town square kicked up to life.

Kara stepped into the middle of the town square, dressed in her civilian clothes. It took about twelve hours or so, but the Clock King turned up to rear his ugly head.

"He would pop up to give his speech during the busiest time," Chloe said.

The lights started to crackle when the Clock King appeared. He sat in the throne of another clocktower. Several pieces of scenary had been focused behind his back for a few seconds.

"I know all of you are heading off to your jobs, and are going to make an honest attempt not to be late," The Clock King said. He swung a pocket watch in his hand and checked the time. "I'm a stickler for time, and will do my best to make my speech both brief and concise at the same time."

Kara snorted when she heard these words from the Clock King.

"It would be a first," Chloe said.

"Are you pinpointing the signal?" Kara asked.

"Ahead of you," Chloe said.

Kara and Gwen both waited for Chloe to do her Voodoo while turning their attention to the Clock King. He sat amongst the clocks. All of them, much like his previous hideout, had been perfectly in sync with all of the times zones on Earth. The clocks started tick around them.

"Make sure you keep the camera focused on me completely," The Clock King said. He rubbed his fingers together, thinly veiled glee passing through his eyes. "As you all go to work at seven forty five eastern standard time in Metropolis, you might be wondering what my end game is. And it's this. The man who controls time would be considered a god among mortals!"

Kara rolled her eyes. When the villain started to say he was a god, or he would be like a god, the rest was pretty much downhill from there. It was an extremely dangerous rabbit hole to be stuck down.

"And I have at my hands, a device which could alter the fabric of time in Metropolis and eventually the entire world," the Clock King said. "With one push of a button, I can speed time up. Or I can slow it down. Or I can just freeze it for anyone I choose. The entire city will be at my knees."

' _Or you could just use the device to blow up the entire city when you mess with something fragile.'_

Gwen took one look at the Clock King, who had slipped off his eyeglasses. His eyes looked pretty bloodshot.

"And more importantly, I will finally get revenge on the city, and their favorite son for causing my terminal illness," The Clock King said. "Lex Luthor might be dead, but the entire city will pay for his sins. He was beloved for years, and he may still be beloved after death. But he's a snake."

Gwen took a couple of moments to really process what the Clock King was saying. She turned herself towards Kara and the frown over her face deepened.

"So, let me get this straight," Gwen said. Kara responded with a momentarily nod. "We're just paying for the sins of Lex Luthor, aren't we?"

Kara sighed, this would be perfect. This would be just great.

"I'm afraid so," Kara said. "I'm afraid so."

Luthor had a lot of sins, and she wondered what the Clock King rambled on about. If he was dying because of some disease, Kara understood the urgency of his plans and potentially his obsession with time. The Clock King only had a limited amount of it on this planet.

"And, I'm a fair man," The Clock King said. "I will hand control of time and put it back into the hands of the people of Metropolis, for a price. One billion dollars and it is to be delivered to me by the time the workday is over at exactly five o'clock PM eastern standard time. A second later, and I will turn this device on the people of Metropolis."

Kara shook her head.

"Chloe, do you have any idea where….."

"Turns out, I don't need any fancy hacking to find out where he is," Chloe said. "Only a Google search…he seemed to be agitated when the camera was focused on the window."

"Yes, I noticed," Kara said.

Chloe decided to take a deep breath before she continued to speak.

"The landmarks pinpoint him just outside of Metropolis,' Chloe said. "And just a fair warning, I'm pretty sure his security will be top of the line."

Kara smiled in response. She figured about as much.

"So, are you ready to do this?" Kara asked.

"Yes, let's."

The Clock King's speech finally wrapped up, and Kara and Gwen prepared to make a quick change. Time ticked on Metropolis. The passage of time proved to be a very dangerous thing.

* * *

The Clock King's men huddled, some of them performing security detail outside of their boss's new base.

"Why is it, these big super villain types always like to talk?" one of the goons asked.

"I don't know, maybe they didn't get enough love as a child," another goon said.

"We better get up there, the boss will not be pleased if we're a second late for the shift switch," the goon said. He checked his watch. "Time is money, and all."

"Do you think we're going to get a cut out of the billion he's going to get?"

One of the goons cracked his knuckles and placed his hand firmly around a baseball bat which dangled from his hand.

"Oh, we better get a cut from it, if the Clock King knows what's good for him," the goon said. The savage fury swimming through his eyes scared even the most hardened of men.

The goons proceeded to head back inside, for the shift change. A line of webbing caught one of the goons in the back by the heel. A tug caused him to fly back into the shadows and a figure to nail him straight in the back of the head with a punch.

The Clock King's second hands all turned around. One of them pulled out a huge club and swung it.

"Come out, I can see you're back there!" the goon yelled. He slammed the club onto the palm repeatedly, an angry glint dancing in his eyes. "Come out, and face me….I'll club you one, you little….."

Heat vision impacted the club. The club shot on fire in the hands of the goon which caused him to throw the hot item several feet into the air. The goon staggered into position and received a huge punch to the chest from the Girl of Steel. The thug doubled over from the impact, panting in pain.

"Guess who!" Spider-Woman yelled.

The web slinging heroine bounced on top of the head of one of the goons. The other second hand near her tried to punch her, but all he did was ended up nailing his fellow good straight in the face.

"You're going to have to work on your aim more," Spider-Woman said, grabbing one of the goons around the neck and putting him down to the ground.

The final goon tried to nail Spider-Woman with the bat. Nightwing jumped up and nailed him with a huge kick which caused him to crash down onto the ground. The goon rolled over with a grimace from the thud which occurred.

"I heard them talking," Nightwing said. "There is going to be a relief group on the way."

"Clock King much be switching them out on the hour," Spider-Woman said. "So, do you think we can get inside without any problems?"

The door cracked open which caused Spider-Woman to answer her own question for her.

"No, of course not."

The second group of second hands stepped into the picture. One of them stopped and tried to use a radio to contact the Clock King.

"Sorry, no fair squealing on us to your boss," Spider-Woman said, latching a line of webbing out and yanking the radio out of the goon's hand.

The radio smashed into the ground and the goon staggered about a half of a step forward as well. Spider-Woman jumped high into the air and brought her feet down onto the back of the head of her adversary with the full force of this attack.

The other two goons tried to nail Nightwing. Nightwing ducked underneath one of the punches. She grabbed him around the head and pushed him forward. The right pressure point had been hit, forcing him down to his knees beneath her. The goon tried to turn around, but get a punch.

The goon pulled out a gun and started to fire at Nightwing. Nightwing absorbed two shots, before grabbing him by the scruff of the shirt and pulling him up above her head.

"You should know, shooting me never works," Nightwing said.

The goon landed onto a puddle of mud.

Spider-Woman flipped over another goon who intended to nail her with a crowbar. The goon swung the crowbar at her with a full force. The crowbar generated a sick wind when he attempted to nail his adversary.

"Close," Spider-Woman said.

"I'll cave in your skull!"

The goon tried to hammer her, but Spider-Woman twisted out of the way and turned away. A web line fired out of her web shooters and stuck onto it. The goon tripped over his own feet. She propelled ten feet into the air and wrapped her ankles around the goons heads head. The takeover flipped one of the Clock King's second hands onto his back where he landed with a resounding thud.

The goon tried to rise to his feet, but Nightwing plowed him across the back of the head. The goon crumpled down to the ground, the wind knocked out of him.

"You know, we make a great team," Spider-Woman said.

They shouldn't pat themselves on the back. Spider-Woman and Nightwing made their way up to the tower. They opened up the doors and the Clock King rose from his throne. The crafty criminal's eyes bugged out.

"How…how…how…."

Spider-Woman nailed him in the mouth with a glop of webbing full on. The Clock King started to mumble and grumble with the webbing latched over his mouth.

Nightwing noticed the remote a few inches away from him. She sped towards it and grabbed it into her hand.

"Brilliant mind," Spider-Woman said, cocking back her fist. "Glass jaw."

The Clock King tried to scramble towards the elevator, only to receive a line of webbing around his feet which caused him to stagger. He turn around and practically ran into Spider-Woman's fist. The Clock King's jaw cracked underneath the attack and he landed down.

"Okay, I think we can breathe now," Spider-Woman said.

Nightwing smiled, things were looking up quite nicely. They sure could breath, they sure could breath.

* * *

Maggie Sawyer, the newly promoted head of the MCU, supervised the Clock King and his men being lead out. The Clock King had been taken down for the count and with style. Given the trouble the man caused the Metropolis Police Department over the past several weeks, Maggie couldn't feel too sorry for him.

"At least it's over," Maggie said. The cop walked over next towards both of the men. "Make sure he's secure…..and make sure the device is locked up as well."

Once they could safely undo the device and separate the components, Maggie intended to return them to their owners. Under most normal circumstances, a lecture about better security would have been in the cards. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your perspective on things, these places did have much better security.

"You know, the fact he managed to coordinate a bunch of low life thugs into an elite task force really speaks well for him," one of the cops said.

"Careful, Michaels, you wouldn't want to give any of these low lives too much respect," Turpin said.

Maggie could tell Turpin relished his new position in the police force. After the changes of management, and the fiasco with the Anti-Vigilante Task Force not being worth the tax dollars they had been paid, Maggie found herself cleaning up a lot of messes.

She smiled and could sense something in the shadows. Maggie raised five fingers when no one was looking.

"Bomb's in the back of the truck, don't know if it really works," Turpin said. "Not really my thing though, so I'll let the lab geeks take a look at it. Maybe they can figure out what makes it tick."

Maggie watched as the Clock King's caper wrapped up. He might have been a victim, as many had been, or so he claimed. If Maggie learned one thing from her time at the MCU, a lot of criminals made up their own scapegoats.

' _Anything to justify their homicidal impulses.'_

The sad story came the same way every single time. Every criminal had their own little sob story to tell. Those types of extreme personalities always shifted the blame on someone else, whether it was their parents, an employer who wronged them, or an ex-lover who broke their heart.

"I'll be back, I need to check something," Maggie said to Turpin.

Turpin paused and nodded, he understood completely.

"Right, I'll see you back at the station, Captain Sawyer," Turpin said.

Maggie turned her attention to the shadows. The moment the MCU was gone, Nightwing slid out of the shadows.

"For the record, I'm still getting used to you wearing the costume," Maggie said.

"It's a tribute," Kara said. "Especially considering she's….out of commission."

Maggie had been caught off guard from this statement from Kara.

"She's still in a coma?" Maggie asked.

"Yes, she is…she was technically dead for about seven minutes which…super powers or not, there's a long road to come back from," Kara said.

"Some might say death is the one thing even a super hero could not come back on," Maggie said.

"Heroes and villains, we don't play by the normal rules of death," Kara said. Maggie cracked a smile. "It's a revolving door system for us."

Maggie shook her head, but decided to agree with her. All things considered, this did make all kinds of perfect sense.

"Nightwing allows me to stick to the shadows a little bit more as well, and do things…differently," Kara said.

"One day, Supergirl may be able to fly the skies of Metropolis safely," Maggie said. "I'm working to reverse all of those laws, but…things are moving slow."

Kara frowned. The wheels of justice ended up moving really slowly.

' _They can past unjust laws pretty quickly,'_ Kara said. _'Overturning them, oh that's a…that's a true problem, isn't it?'_

Kara blinked for a second. Maggie placed her hand on Kara's shoulders. The Girl of Steel relaxed in the grip of the older woman.

"I know you're as frustrated as we all are," Maggie said. "The Anti-Vigilante laws were an election ploy. Slashing the budget and the manpower for the Vigilante Task Force is the best we can do, until the laws can get repealed."

Kara smiled for a moment. The Anti-Vigilante Task Force wasn't nearly as persistent as they had been in the past. There were many instances in the past where they came at her with a full force, with reckless abandonment.

"The taxpayers will be pleased with this," Maggie said.

Kara smiled, she could hear a lot of people talking about how the Anti-Vigilante Task Force was a waste of money, and the MCU should be devoting more time going after the people who attacked them. Instead of the people who saved them.

"Thanks for everything, Maggie," Kara said.

"No, problem, the MCU is in your corner…even if we can't legally be on paper yet," Maggie said. "And if you don't mind me for asking, would the device Clock King made actually work?"

"No," Kara said. "It would just blow up half of Metropolis."

Maggie frowned, but nodded. She figured just as much.

* * *

Kara made her way out of the shower of the penthouse. She wrapped a towel around her body and walked into the living room .The Girl of Steel stopped short and smiled.

"You know, you're just as bad as she is."

Gwen Stacy sat on the couch. She dressed in a black tank top which displayed a nice amount of her cleavage. Raising her arms caused the shirt to ride up tighter against her chest and show her toned tummy. A black leather skirt was a bit shorter than normal.

"Sorry, I just…well, today was a nice team up," Gwen said.

"You did really good out there," Kara said.

"Thank you," Gwen said. "And I'm glad….I'm glad we can work together. And maybe we can work together again in the future."

Gwen shifted herself and Kara could see her skirt ride up to show Kara a pair of lacy black panties.

"Of course, we both know the real reason why you're here," Kara said, stepping closer towards Gwen as she got up.

Gwen rose from the couch and came chest to chest with Kara's towel clad body. A part of her could feel flushed being so up close and personal with Kara like this.

"I just….I just want to thank you," Gwen said.

"Really?" Kara asked. "Are you sure there isn't another reason why you're here? Dressed like that even….shirt a size or two too small, short skirt which shows your panties, and a pair of fuck-me boots."

Kara's frank speaking stirred something within Gwen. Her nipples grew firm and rigid against the edge of her shirt.

"Naughty girl," Kara said with a smile. "You're here because you're horny."

"My hormones are normally all over the charts after a battle," Gwen said. "And when I almost kissed you…before Chloe interrupted, it caused my heart to race."

Kara placed her hands on Gwen's hips. Gwen didn't pull herself away from Kara. She pushed her hips into Kara's eager and exploring hands.

"And Alia is normally….there for me, but she's out of town on business, and….you were the most obvious person to turn it," Gwen said. "And you were going to kiss me, so I figured…it would be okay if I came here."

Gwen's hips grinded into Kara's hands. Kara sensed something rising from Gwen. Pheromones caused Kara to rub her thighs together, but the heat could only be quelled by one thing.

"Well, you want a piece of this, don't you?"

Kara let her towel drop to the ground. Gwen's eyes widened when she drank in every sensual curve of Kara's perfect body. Her breasts pressed in Gwen's face, seconds away from her face.

"So, are you going to gawk or are you going to touch?" Kara asked, pinching Gwen firmly on her ass.

Gwen hitched in a breath and she knew what to do now.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on April 25** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _Clock King is a schemer, but not much of a fighter._

 _Gwen and Kara join together, for some nice and sticky fun. Literally given Gwen is Spider-Woman. Really wanted to write this one for some time._

 _See you next Monday._


	64. Chapter 64

_Week Sixteen Chapter of the Week Voting is At the Blog.  
_

 **Chapter Sixty-Four: Mxyed Up.**

* * *

Today, Metropolis started like pretty much any other day, and a beautiful day as well. The sun shined, the birds sang, pretty much everyone locked hands and sang for a moment. The early morning rush hit in Metropolis and pretty much everyone was in good spirits.

"Hey, watch where you're going you jerk! You almost sideswiped me!"

Almost everyone was in good spirits to be perfectly honest. Kara Kent took a nice walk from her penthouse to the Daily Planet. Dressed in the usual red blouse, nice professional black skirt combination, with her hair pulled back in a bun and glasses on, Kara took in the air.

Kara didn't have to be in the office rather soon due to being Chloe's assistant. Mostly because Chloe was never at the office. Kara only took the job to gain some kind of stability in her day to day life. Punching bad guys could be a really liberating experience, but there were times where some people needed an amount of normalcy in their lives. Today would be the day where Kara could get just as much and today was the perfect day.

The Girl of Steel resolved to make her rounds around the Daily Planet. Only one last street to cross and Kara would be in the clear.

A very familiar sound greeted Kara on her early morning walk. The bank alarm started to buzz in the back of her ear, and Kara whipped around to hear what was happening behind her.

' _Wouldn't be a day in my life without some idiot trying to rob the bank?'_ Kara thought. _'Or something.'_

With a hint of dramatic flair, the clouds above her head started to turn grey. Kara slipped into the alleyway to change. Nightwing made her way to the rooftop and needed to be extra careful not to be seen.

' _Much easier to do this at night,'_ Kara thought. _'Then again, the cloud cover is pretty much making this night, for all intents and purposes.'_

Nightwing made her way to the front entrance of the bank. The bank teller held his hands up while the gunman pointed the weapon into the man's face. The robber wore the all too classic ski-mask, along with a black jacket, white shirt, and a pair of blue jeans to match. Two more goons held up the few customers who decided to get a jump on the day and make an early morning deposit.

"Can't believe the stash we're going to get?"

"Alright, freeze dirt bags!"

The bank doors opened up and some of Metropolis's finest entered the bank. Nightwing stood back for a second to see how this would go on.

' _Maybe I'm not needed,'_ Kara thought, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face. An unlady like snort passed through the nose of the Girl of Steel. _'Oh yes, and that would be the day where I'm not needed for something.'_

"Take one wrong move, and I'm going to blow the bank teller's head off," the leader of this pack of thugs yelled. "Don't think I'm bluffing!"

"Man, this is nuts, we shouldn't even rob this bank, I mean, there's no point!" one of the goons yelled. "I mean, we get the money, blow the cops away, and run…but Supergirl chases us down, or one of those Arrow girls, or something."

"You've got a point," the second thug said. "I mean, we go through town, committing crimes, but each and every day, the heroes always catch up to us."

"Yes, we end up in jail, why put up quite the fuss?" the first thug asked.

"I know, you can see, but we have money, it's just free," the lead gunman said.

"You punks better put those guns down," the lead officer said. "This is your last warning."

"Listening to your donut munchers much, is kind of boring," the gunman said, doing a jig. "But, you do have a point. All of these crimes, they're for nothing."

Kara blinked several times and hung in the air, mouth agape.

' _Are they singing?'_ Kara asked. _'Are you kidding me? Are they seriously singing? You've got to be…no you've got be kidding me.'_

Kara floated next to them, mouth hanging upon in surprise.

"Sorry, for ruining your day," the lead gunman said in a really bad signing voice. "I guess we finally learned crime doesn't pay. I wasn't smart enough to be a doctor or a lawyer, or a dentist."

"All we know is crime, and being such a menace!" another one of the thugs yelled.

"But, now we've given this quite a whirl," one of the thugs said, grabbing a woman in the bank and twirling her. "All we know is our crimes will announce one thing."

"This looks like a job for Supergirl!" everyone in the bank sang.

Nightwing dropped down and looked into the bank. The thugs all kicked up a chorus line.

"Alright, you punks, you have the right to remain silent," one of the officers sang. "Anything you say, can be used against you in a court of law."

"Guess, I can't keep my mouth shut, that's one major flaw," another thug said.

"You have a right to attorney," the officer continued to sing. "Do you understand me?"

Kara looked up in the sky and it started to rain.

"Chocolate rain?" Kara asked. "Oooh, I know what's happening, it's everyone's favorite fifth dimensional pain!"

The Girl of Steel winced at what she had just did.

"Drat, I'm singing, I can't believe it," Kara said. "When, I find him, I'm going to strangle that little shit!"

Kara looked into the bank and could see the goons being handcuffed. They locked arms with the cops in a chorus line.

The Girl of Steel realized her costume shifted into a French's Maid Outfit. The skirt rolled up, showing everyone a glimpse of Kara's lacy black panties no matter how

Kara moved and realized her costume shifted into a naughty nurse straight out of a hospital porno. Then, her costume shifted into a cheerleader with a tight top and a short skirt.

* * *

A silly little man with floppy ears showed up. He wore an outrageous purple suit with an orange tie splattered with yellow polakdots. The purple hand covered his head.

The floating man ambled over and raised his hand towards the fourth wall. The interdimensional pest started to knock on the wall.

"Hey, is anyone there?" he yelled, bunching up a fat fist and waving it around. "HEY, YOU, PAY ATTENTION! Stop fapping, and listen because this is important."

The little floating man cleared his throat and gave one of the most shit-eating grins imaginable.

"Okay, it's kind of like this, for those who don't have access to Wikipedia, my name is Mister Mxyzptlk," the imp narrated. "I'm a being from a dimensional far beyond the comprehension of most mortal men. You've heard those urban legends about imps, genies, and fairies. Well those are on account of me."

The trickster got into a smile.

"You see a lot has happened, because I came here to this dimension to pester the greatest hero of the modern age, Superwoman," Mxy said, rocking his head back with a smile. "You see, I've been observing her through my fifth dimensional telescope….which is not creepy in the slightest. But, anyway, I watched her sleep, I watch her do chores, watched her bathe…even watched when she took a crap!"

Mxy smiled.

"And no doubt there's a few people out there who get off on such a thing," Mxy said. "Anyway, I watched her grow from an awkward young farmer's daughter to Superwoman, the Woman of Steel, with breasts to match. And legs…even though she covered them up in those tight pants. Which, hey, I aint' complaining and all."

The fifth dimensional imp's head turned into a dog and started to pant until a newspaper appeared and smacked him on the face repeatedly.

"Oh, what was I saying….something about Superwoman's legs, and….ass, in those tight pants," Mxy said. He cleared his throat. "And hey, in some dimensions, she's a dude, and wears his underpants on the outside of his costume. Which is quite frankly hot."

Mxy shifted into an erupting volcano to demonstrate his point.

"So, I decided to harass er I mean mentor her," Mxy said. "We had these little games where I showed up every three months, and upset the applecart. She tricked me into saying my name backwards, I went back to the Fifth Dimension. Laughs were had. Eventually, I also started to mess with her cousin."

Mxy cackled and deepened his voice to sound like a radio announcer.

"Look up in the sky, it's Supergirl, and I can see her panties!" Mxy yelled. "Seriously, god bless mini-skirts and the hot blondes who wear them!"

The imp spun around to regain his bearings. He appeared in a Wonder Woman costume as a result of this spinning.

"Man, I hate when that happens," Mxy said, spinning back around to get back into his normal look and suit. "Ah, here we go…anyway for years, I was playing games with Superwoman and Supergirl. My wife thought I should do better things with my time, like taking out the trash and painting the garage and you know…the things I really didn't want to do."

The fifth dimensional imp turned his head into a pig and started to snort before reverting back.

"But, anyone, those fun suckers in the council, seriously, they're worse than those smurfs who run the Green Lanterns," Mxy said. "They banned me from messing with Supergirl and Superwoman, but….but said nothing about Nightwing. Aren't loopholes fun?"

Mxy sneezed for a few seconds. A biker gang rolled by. Mxy lifted a hand and snapped his fingers which prompted the tough bikers to get off their bikes, dressed in tutus and start doing ballet.

"Hey, this flu's making me zanier than ever, what can I say?" Mxy asked. "You see, in addition to continuing my favorite hobby, I needed to leave the fifth dimension. This kind of flu would wreck havoc on the citizens of the fifth dimension and cause mass chaos and confusion."

Mxy stifled a sneeze.

"Aw, excuse me," Mxy said. "But, you see, the flu doesn't do anything to effect third-dimensional beings, so they're pretty much in the clear and stuff."

Mxy paused for a second and turned his attention to the grocery store where an old lady beat a young man over the head with her cane repeatedly. The man covered up.

"Move aside, Granny, I need them!" the young man yelled.

"No can do, sonny, the last jar of pickles is mine!" the old lady yelled.

"Well, there's that thing about pickles," Mxy said. "Which leaves everyone in quite the pickle, doesn't it?"

Mxy chortled at his own bad joke, but then started to cough.

"Oh, I shouldn't have done that," Mxy said. "Oh, well, back to the show."

* * *

Kara, dressed in a skin tight nurse's outfit, tried to maneuver towards the scene of the chaos. She would find the little imp there and would hopefully be able to get her hands on him.

"Kara, this is the biggest disaster ever in Metropolis history!" Chloe yelled over the phone.

"Whoa, Chloe, just tell me what's going on," Kara said. "Did Mxy summon kind of tentacle monster or something to attack the women of Metropolis?"

"No," Chloe said. "This is far more awful than him summoning a giant tentacle monster."

Kara braced herself for the really bad news to come.

"I've been to every single store in Metropolis, and they're all fresh out of pickles!" Chloe yelled.

Kara almost stopped in mid-air. A camera flash caught a shot up the bottom of her nurse's uniform, and she groaned.

"Chloe, you don't even like pickles," Kara said.

"I know, but for some reason, I really want them!" Chloe yelled. "Kara, you have to help me…surely in all of those super powers, you have some kind of pickle finding sense thingy!"

Kara wondered if Chloe needed to lie down.

"KARA, PLEASE, I'M DYING!" Chloe yelled.

"Okay, Chloe, deep breaths, relax," Kara said. "It's not the end of the world."

"PICKLES!" Chloe cried in agony.

"Yes, pickles, of course," Kara said. "Just take a deep breath, and just relax."

Kara listened in on the other end for long enough to know Chloe and know when she wasn't about ready to relax. The breathing turned even heavier. Kara sighed.

"I'll see if I can find any pickles for you," Kara said. "Just don't do anything drastic…if I had to make a guess, I'm sure that fifth dimensional nuisance is hoarding all of the pickles and using his magic to make everyone obsessively hungry for them."

"Oh, oh, it's a good explanation, a really good explanation!" Chloe cried, managing to get a moment of sanity and clarity in the middle of a sea of absolute insanity. "And, Mxy's trying to mess with our heads….well if we find him, we'll find the pickles."

Kara smiled, successfully having manipulated Chloe into looking for the little pest. Looking for Mxy and actually finding the fifth-dimensional terror were too different things entirely. Even if Kara needed to manipulate Chloe's pickle obsession to do so, it was manipulation for a great purpose. No real shame in this as far as Kara considered.

' _Come to think of it, I could use a pickle,'_ Kara thought. _'Although if I don't find this fifth-dimensional pest soon, I'm going to be the one who is going to be in the pickle.'_

Kara really wished the word pickle didn't keep popping into her head at random. The girl's head started to buzz and the craving got really worse.

"So, I've been looking through the police reports….still no pickles by the way," Chloe said. "And there's a riot when the only crate had been stolen from the back of the grocery store by a group of angry pregnant women."

Kara thought things in this city were getting a bit too much out of hand.

"So, still no pickles," Chloe repeated, starting to hyperventilate.

"Chloe, focus," Kara said, trying to remain as patient as possible. "You were going to tell me something…is it going to lead me to Mxy, so we can stop this and stop him from hiding all of the pickles in this town?"

"You're not taking this seriously, are you?" Chloe asked. "You're not taking my very serious dilemma seriously, aren't you?"

Kara rolled her eyes, but managed to calm down. Every time the pest rolled into the town, problems followed. And mostly rational people shifted into complete and utter lunatics at the drop of the hat.

"Chloe, I swear, I'm taking your problem very seriously, it's the same problem everyone in this city is having," Kara said. "Hell, I could really use a pickle right now…and I find them quite disturbing."

"Yeah, they are pretty gross, but I want them so bad!" Chloe yelled. "But, anyway, I guess I found something which can help you, and help me help you help me help…."

"Chloe!" Kara snapped in pure exasperation.

"Right, I'm focusing, you can just see how focused I am," Chloe said. "There's an army of ninja pirate zombie monkeys terrorizing the downtown area."

Something this absurd just smelled of Mister Mxyzptlk.

"Thanks, Chloe, I'll go check it out."

Kara blasted off with a rocket like sound, moving faster than the speed of light. The Girl of Steel hoped she would not be too late to get there.

"Oh, and Kara."

"Yes, Chloe," Kara said, knowing what was coming and knowing there would be no way whatsoever to avoid it."

"DON'T FORGET MY PICKLES!"

Kara winced, right in her super powered ear. Regardless, Kara decided to liberate all of the pickles on Metropolis and kick Mxy's ass back to the fifth dimension. Thankfully she wasn't singing anymore, although perhaps Kara should not trumpet this fact too loudly due to the fact it might give him ideas.

' _And the last thing I want to give the floating terror is any ideas,'_ Kara thought.

* * *

One of the monkeys brandished a sword and swung it at an unsuspecting Metropolis citizen. The citizen staggered back and held out a banana.

"Here you go, nice banana, really nice banana, just don't hurt me!"

"He doesn't want your banana!" Mxy said, popping up dressed in a pirate costume with a patch over his eye. "He wants to plunder your booty, argh!"

The man screamed when the monkey jumped on the top of his head. Mxy chortled and rubbed his hands together at the pure chaos which had been created. The fifth dimensional imp rocked down.

"Oh, this is going to be fun, this is going to be great!" Mxy cheered. "This is going to be completely and absolutely stupendous beyond a shadow of a doubt this will be….."

A cyclone appeared in the distance. The monkeys lifted up into the air and screamed in anguish.

"No, not my flying monkeys!" Mxy yelled. The trickster imp realized something and slapped a fist into his palm. "Damn it, I knew I forgot something. I should have made my monkeys able to fly, it really would have been something more interesting if they were able to fly!"

Mxy chalked it up to a failed experience. The cycle continued to erupt and one by one, all of the zombie pirate ninja monkeys placed into the cage.

"Zombie pirate ninja monkeys, zombie pirate ninja monkeys!" Mxy sang. "Monkeys who fling things at you, primate power!" Oh, yeah, dig that catchy beat."

The cyclone stopped and Mxy could see her drop down behind him. The woman's white regulation skirt rolled up to show a hint of her lacy white panties.

"Oh….hello nurse!" Mxy yelled.

"I demand to change me back to my natural state!" Kara yelled.

Mxy snapped his fingers and Kara stepped back, eyes flaring. The Girl of Steel stepped back, as naked as the day she was born. A car crashed when the man driving it stopped to get a look at the naked Kara Zor-El.

"Mmm, you naughty girl, you're so fine!" Mxy called.

"I meant change me back into my regular costume, you pest!" Kara yelled, reaching towards Mxy and grabbing him by the throat.

"Oh, you should be more specific, you see magic is very particular," Mxy said, feeling Kara's fingers squeeze around his neck like a stress ball. "Could you mind…easing up on the choking….."

Kara wondered why Mxy didn't just teleport out of her grip. The Maiden of Might didn't care because squeezing the little creepy imp by the neck soothed her greatly.

"Okay, if I change you back to normal….."

"And get me a pickle!" Kara yelled.

"Fine, a pickle," Mxy said. "Oh, this might not have been such a good idea after all."

Mxy turned Kara back into her Nightwing costume and gave her an entire jar of pickles. Before any of the other vultures could jump onto it, Kara picked up the jar of pickles, sped it off.

Chloe grinned in triumph to give Kara a thumbs up before Nightwing returned to the scene of the crime.

"The elders told you not to bother myself or Superwoman," Nightwing said, hands dropping to hips in the irritated pose. "So, why are you here, and why are you bothering me?"

Mxy wondered if heat vision could hurt him. If throttling did it's damage, the imp suspected heat vision would also do it's share of damage. The fifth-dimensional terror decided to choose his next few words with added caution.

"Heh, bit of a funny story there, well not ha-ha funny as much as….oh boy, like amusing funny," Mxy said. The Maiden of Might gazed at her. "Bit of a funny story there…actually it's a really funny story….but you're not laughing."

"It's because you've said nothing funny," Kara said in a sullen tone.

"Okay, right, right, right, you know…the jerks at the council…more uptight then those Smurfs who run the Lanterns, got their panties in a knot," Mxy said. "They banned me, from pestering Supergirl or Superwoman, but now…since you're not Supergirl anymore and Nightwing, I figured it might be okay. I'm not doing anything wrong."

Kara started to fume before erupting.

"YOU REALLY THINK YOU'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING WRONG!"

The force of Nightwing's super lungs caused Mxy to smack against the side of the building. He winced when sliding down on the building.

"Oh, Mama, now I know what one of those bugs on the windshield feel like," Mxy said. "And sure….I've been a little mess….."

Kara pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. With a fast fury, Kara shoved the slip of paper into Mxy's greasy little palm.

"Huh, what did you…oh you wrote my name?" Mxy asked, in confusion. "Actually spelled it right too."

Mxy waved around the piece of paper in triumph. Kara's lips curled into a smirk, whipping out a mirror and holding it in front of the waving slip of paper.

The image in the mirror read "Kltpzyxm". The imp's mouth started to raise open and close. The conditions the fifth-dimensional residence.

"Crud!"

Mxy deflated like a balloon and returned to the fifth dimension for another ninety days until the cycle returned anew sooner rather than later.

Kara cracked a smile and sighed deeply in relief. Not exactly the best battle in the entire world, but hey, it was over, and she could finally relax. The city shifted back into normal around her.

"Pickles, oh, Kara, you allowed me to eat half of a jar of pickles!" Chloe exclaimed, almost spitting out of her mouth. "You know how much I hate pickles, why didn't you stop me?"

"Hey, Chloe, you're back to normal, that's good," Kara said. "And you were pretty insistent."

"Yeah, likely, I don't remember….but seriously, out of all of the things he could make us crave, it would have to be pickles!" Chloe yelled. "Ugh….I'm going to down a bottle of Listerine."

"Sorry, to see you in such a pickle, Chloe," Kara said.

Kara snickered at her own bad joke, blocking Chloe's groan out of her mind. The Maiden of Might hoped the rest of today would be a good one.

* * *

Mxy looked up and found himself caught in some kind of nightmarish dimension. Taking a step forward, shackles rose from the ground and latched the imp into place.

"Where the hell am I?" Mxy asked, the shackles digging into the imp's wrist. "This isn't the fifth dimension."

"You're right, it isn't?"

A pale gentlemen stepped forward. The man wore a suit. The most distinguishing feature was his dark hair curving up like devil horns.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Klarion the Bitch Boy!" Mxy cheered.

"You know, you're not in an place to call people names when you're here," Klarion said in a calm voice. "I love your special brand of chaos, but it lacks a little something. You're using the magic for mere parlor tricks, when it can be used for so much more."

"Oh, here we go," Mxy said, with a roll of the eyes. "We're not going to go down this road, bitch boy. You'd have a much easier time handling a woman than you would handling my powers."

Klarion chuckled at Mxy's attempt of wit. The witch boy didn't see it as very good.

"You made a key mistake trying to pester Nightwing, playing right into my hands," Klarion said. "And now you're trapped here with me."

"Yeah, if you start with the long winded speeches, talk about a fate worse than death," Mxy said.

Klarion trapped Mxy into an energy field which added the bonus of silencing the imp and insuring he didn't spit out any more words.

"Just think about it, you glorified fairy," Klarion said. "If you wouldn't have given into your base impulses, none of this would have happened. But now it has, and thanks to your illness, I have you."

Mxy mouthed something, but Klarion didn't hear it.

"I'm going to drain you of all of your powers and leave you nothing, but a dried out husk," Klarion said. "All of your fifth-dimensional powers gone to waste over cheap trickery, when they can be used for pure chaos."

Mxy opened his mouth to scream as already Klarion sucked the powers from him.

Klarion smiled, the power tasted delicious and soon the entire world would rest in the palm of his hand.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on May 2** **nd** **, 2016.**

 _Well, this was a pretty wacky chapter. The kind of chapter which was needed in the midst of all of the darkness in this story and there was a fair bit._

 _Pickles were pretty random, I'll admit, but I think that was the idea._

 _And things have taken a turn for the ugly after this chapter._

 _Until Monday._


	65. Chapter 65

_Week Seventeen Chapter of the Week Poll is Live in the Blog, so link is at the usual location.  
_

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty-Five: Lord of Chaos Part One:**

Kara dressed back up as Nightwing, and believe her, it felt extremely good to return to this particular costume and not wear one of those fetish outfits. Granted, the Girl of Steel didn't necessarily mind the outfits, but felt they were best served from the bedroom. A smile not fitting a dark and brooding avenger crossed the Kryptonian survivor's face as she positioned atop a gargoyle overlooking Metropolis.

Flamebird joined Nightwing a few seconds later. The younger girl's face contorted into one of those looks. So far, the city was quiet, but this meant little in Metropolis. Chaos would always be a moment away and in chaos, there bread all sorts of amazing little opportunites.

"So?" Flamebird asked. "I have a sense something really weird happened earlier today."

Nightwing responded with the slightest hint of a smile.

"Really weird is an understatement," Nightwing said, craning her neck to look around the city. So far, no signs of trouble, which really didn't mean anything. It was just the people in this city were able to keep out of trouble for the moment. "But, yes, something extremely weird happened today."

"Okay," Flamebird said. "Are you going to tell me what I'm missing?"

"You mean you can't remember," Nightwing said.

If this was the case, an envious felling filled Nightwing's entire being. She honestly wished all of the memories had been wiped from her about this ordeal. Then again, every time Mxy blew into town, his efforts really leaned on the absurd and the really insane. To the point where Kara wondered if she encountered some kind of new Kryptonian which altered the mind. Actually, it would be for the best, but the truth was more out there.

"No," Flamebird said. "I really can't remember. Are you going to tell me? Or is this one of these things where I'm better off being in the dark?"

Nightwing considered how to best answer this question for a moment. After a few moments to ponder, she slowly turned over towards Flamebird and gave a little bit of a smile.

"You know, all things considered, it's just for the best you don't know."

Helena Bertinelli allowed a half-smile, half-scowl to cross her face, obscured for the most part by the darkness. It amused Ella how the plucky sidekick was always more brooding than the brooding avenger. Regardless, the dark haired woman peered down into the streets of Metropolis. The silence and the quiet which followed by appreciated and unnerved Flamebird.

The two of them continued their travels, silent for the most part. Neither decided to say one word, for fear of breaking up the nice mood they entered.

"So, anything on your front?" Nightwing asked.

"No," Chloe said. "After the ordeal which should not be spoken of earlier today, things have settled down. Let's hope they still stay settled down."

Kara hoped as well. Not a creature was stirring in Metropolis, not even a hood who intended to make a cheap buck by knocking off the local gas station. Maybe they could get away with going home without too many problems. The Girl of Steel's optimistic thoughts had been lacking over the past few months, but this was one night she felt good for.

"Maybe tonight we can finally go home without any problems," Ella said, hopefulness brimming from her tone. "So, what do you say? One more trip around and then we call it a night?"

Nightwing considered it for a minute, and nodded. Both women went through their usual routes. Metropolis seemed quiet at night. Some people traveled on the streets, but others remained nestled in their beds with sweet dreams without care.

Taking in the air and the scenes, Nightwing smiled.

"You know, the quiet is utterly unsettling," Chloe said, pausing long enough to get the request Kara "Chloe, you're being a wet blanket" sigh. "Just saying, it's all. There's something….there's something in the air. I don't know what, but there's certainly something in the air."

"Yes, something," Kara said, agreeing. The girl's head craned up a fraction of the inch and heart started to beat against her chest. "Well, we better…."

Flamebird came back around off of patrol and came across Nightwing. The two crime fighters met in the middle.

"Nothing on my end," Flamebird said. "How about you?"

"Nothing on my end," Nightwing said.

"Good," Flamebird said. "Tonight's going to be a nice and quiet night without any problems."

No sooner did those words fly out of Flamebird's mouth, a red vortex ripped open in the sky. Nightwing and Flamebird turned around, both girls having their mouth open. A civilian who had been taking out his garbage looked up.

A large demonic entity swooped down from the heavens and grabbed the man in his talons. The gentleman screamed out loud when the talons pulled him high into the air. The creature's eyes glowed red.

"What did I tell you about tempting fate?" Nightwing asked, raising an eyebrow towards Flamebird.

Flamebird almost lifted a hand to her face and made face and palm meet. One of these days, Ella resolved to keep her big mouth fully and completely shut.

Nightwing shot up into the air like a cork and knocked the creature back. Flamebird swooped down on a rope and caught the gentlemen before he made a rather ugly splatter onto the ground. The crime fighter dropped down.

More problems had been introduced when the sky started to rip open and more creatures poked their ugly heads. Someone was bringing an army of dark horrors into Metropolis, but who.

X-X-X

Klarion peered through the looking glass, eyes glowing a demonic shade of red and face contorted into one of the most devious grins possible. The Witch Boy looked as giddy as a school girl with a new vibrator and twice as scary as well.

Mxy's power siphoned away from him. The imp cursed the infinite amount of fifth dimensional power he had at his disposal. If Klarion could not have his power, then this would not have happened.

"And now, you see, the true personification of my power!" Klarion howled, waving his hands and directing the creatures to do the witch boy's devious bidding. "Yes…yes….GET THEM MY PRETTIES!"

Mxy's eyes started to roll.

"Oh boy, you've gotten drunk off of power, and…you can't really hold it," Mxy said. "I told you can't hold it, and you can't…well you can't hold it. You're nothing but an overpumped chump."

The words of the fifth dimensional trickster flew over the head of Klarion. Like one ear and out of the other, Mxy thought it was just like talking to his mother-in-law.

"You see, you use your powers to bring demons upon the Earth, to cause people to scream in terror," Mxy said. "Oh, you're being really amazing now. Really great plan there, boss! I can't believe how great you are doing…how much power you have. It's amazing…you're so wonderful, so great….it's so…."

Mxy wished to have a wall to bang his head off of. Right now, the imp only had a thick force field, which happened to be thicker than this goof's head.

"You're using demonic creatures, I mean seriously!" Mxy yelled. "Where's the pizzaz involved?"

Klarion's gaze locked onto the eyes of the imp. He did not blink for a second back.

"You don't appreciate true chaos," Klarion said. "The world will be screaming in terror."

"Oh, I know a thing or two about true chaos, sonny," Mxy said, and coughed. A quick glimpse of the imp's reflection showed him the youth being removed along with his powers. If Klarion didn't let up soon, Mxy would start to look every one of his tens and thousands of years old. "And what you're doing is the furthest thing removed from chaos imaginable. It's just brutality…it's just…"

"Enough!" Klarion yelled.

Mxy was pretty sure Klarion revoked his speaking abilities again. The imp's mouth opened and shut in an extremely comic manner, but no words came out. The imp settled for clutching a fist and shaking it back and forth at the bastard who took his powers.

"Soon, there will be enough chaos to spread through the world, and chaos leads to opportunity," Klarion said. "And it will lead to the opportunity to fully empower me and for me to take what is rightfully mine."

Mxy's monologue sense began to tingle. The imp had a sixth sense about these things, given he was no stranger to monologues in his day.

"Doctor Fate at one time thought he could beat me," Klarion said. The Chaos Lord paced back and forth and the momentum started to roll. "You see, there's just one problem. Doctor Fate is gone…having left for parts unknown. He wouldn't show his face anywhere."

Klarion drew in a deep breath and channeled a little bit more of Mxy's power. The normally smaller witch boy started to swell a little bit in height.

"But, if Doctor Fate did try and intervene, I would show him with what true chaos was," Klarion said. "You see, my plan is to remove order from the universe. It's a useless and outdated concept."

Mxy wished to bash his head against a wall even more. The chump didn't realize order was necessary for chaos to exist. If chaos didn't have order, then chaos would be commonplace, and it wouldn't be chaos, now would it? Mxy even knew the boundaries and this fool was starting to cross it.

"But, the universe demands a little bit of chaos, to be driven forward," Klarion continued. "And I'll give it all of the chaos. Those heroes out there, they try and keep the balance. But I'll make them unbalanced. None of them will know what I have in store for them. None of them will have a clue, and few of them will have a prayer!"

Mxy raised his hand and made the "yak, yak, yak" motion with it.

' _I can't believe I met some jerk who talks more than I do,'_ Mxy thought. _'Wait, is this….yes…just keep talking bucko?'_

Mxy sensed a wave of energy passing through and it brushed up against the cage. Klarion only drained ninety eight percent of his power. The trickster imp knew the four percent of the power which remained in him would be more than enough to escape. Humans might scoff his math would be off, but in the Fifth Dimension, it made sense.

' _Just have to time this right.'_

"It will be glorious to see order being destroyed, and chaos reigns through the universe. And just think, it was because of your obsession, your addiction, where this was possible. I'd thank you. But putting your power to a much better use is all of the thanks you need."

Mxy "unlocked" the door, feeling a bit winded from doing so. He didn't know where this rabbit hole lead, but it had to be better than the one he had been crammed down now.

' _Anything is better than being in the presence of this asshole.'_

* * *

Flamebird used an electrified gauntlet to keep the creatures at bay. The electricity worked in minimal qualities, but the creatures kept coming at her, swiping at them.

Flamebird used a gust of super breath to cause the demons to go back. The problem was without closing the rifts in space and time, there was really no way they could do this.

"So, how are you doing on my support, Chloe?" Nightwing asked, super charging a staff and stabbing one of the demonic entities with it.

"Well, the League is…spread kind of thin right now," Chloe said. "Mostly because they're dealing with the same problems you are."

"So, the rifts are opening all over the world?" Flamebird asked. Throwing her head back, one word escaped her lips. "Great!"

Nighwing stopped one of the entities from snatching a baby carriage. Man, woman, and child, the entities didn't care who they picked up, only they picked up someone. They did not discriminate, they did not even care.

"There's too many of them!" Flamebird yelled. "Who do you think's causing this?"

"I don't know!" Nightwing yelled. "If we can find a source of the magic….."

"It's everywhere, but….at the same time, it's nowhere at all," Chloe chimed in.

Nightwing hated to even wrap her head around this one. Another one of the creatures dove bomb, this time trying to target her.

' _Better to target me, than any civilians.'_

The Girl of Steel popped up high into the air and slammed a punch into the chest of one of the creatures. The punch only repelled Nightwing back. The leather clad avenger landed onto the ground with a thud.

Flamebird wished she had more powerful gauntlets. A downed power line gave her an insanely stupid idea. She stepped back.

"Come at me!" Flamebird yelled.

The creatures, perhaps a bit more adept than either of the girls gave them credit for, ignored Flamebird's baiting to direct them in the right direction.

"I don't think he's biting!" Nightwing yelled, trying to direct them away. "I think…they're adapting to the situation."

Adaptable demonic entities ranked low on the list of things Kara enjoyed fighting. The magic absorbed every single one of her best attacks as well.

Something chortled at the Girl of Steel, before an energy blast sent Flamebird flying backwards through three buildings and landing on the ground.

No time to breath, as razor-sharp and demonic claws directed their attacks at the Girl of Steel. The blades flied towards her, but just in the nick of time, Nightwing rolled out of the way.

' _Going to have to regroup,'_ Nightwing thought. A breath started to fill her lungs. _'Only there's no time to regroup.'_

Horror bubbled through Kara's body as she set her sights on a fresh group of demons. The screaming school children in a bus boiled Kara's blood. The indiscriminate actions of the demons kicked to an entirely brand new and quite unsettling level.

' _No, I've got to….'_

Energy beams shot out from the other direction. Kara followed the progression of the beams and turned a bit to the side to see the person firing them. Alia dropped down to the ground.

The two exchanged a few brief words and some messages, but exchanging words and coming face to face was a different thing. Alia waved her hands and blasted the demons back with a high intensity energy blast. The energy beams cracked the demons across the chest and launched them high into the air.

The demons tried to regroup, but failure was the most obvious option here. Alia kept blasting them back.

Kara's eyes followed the progression of the demons going back into the portal and realized a method to Alia's madness. The demons were being herded back into the rift. Each blast from Alia sent them back.

Alia tried to reverse the chaotic energy in the air and send it back to the demons. Chaos magic wasn't exactly her area of expertise, but the powerful woman knew enough about it to make it work.

The demons were not going without a fight, but Alia didn't care. They wanted a fight, she would give them a fight, one hundred percent. Energy beams cracked from Alia's hands and launched the creatures directly through the portal with one last prominent shove.

One last shove should do it. Alia reared back a hand and launched the demons, sending them flying through the portal. The energy rift squealed as the power sucked the demons in.

The green eyed enchanter collapsed to the ground, feeling the hell burning through her body. A figure walked up toward Alia and extended a hand.

Alia looked up, and spotted Kara standing in front of her. The hand could have been extended at another time so Kara could properly hurl Alia into a blackhole. Things calmed down a little bit between the two of them.

"They're not completely gone, if you wanted to know," Alia said.

Kara figured as much. Things were, well awkward, between herself and Alia for a number of reasons. Chaos bred strange bedfellows and this was chaos.

"Please tell me you have an idea who's behind this," Kara said.

"I have ideas," Alia said. "But, I'd like to clarify a few things, before we make assumptions."

Flamebird rejoined the two of them. The sexual tension in the air could be cut with a knife, along with the tension-tension.

"So, they're….."

"Not gone," Alia said. "Just merely delayed….now if the two of you could come with me, we can figure this out together."

Ella locked eyes with Kara, wondering what their next move was. The Girl of Steel, without too much hesitation, locked hands with Alia. Ella decided since Kara trusted where this was going, she would as well.

The three disappeared into a dome of light and flashed to a brand new location.

* * *

A couple of moments later, Alia stepped over towards one of the scanners. The scanner did an entire sweep of the planet and the area around them. The readings around them alarmed Alia to put it bluntly.

Kara waited for the news, placing a set of hands upon her hips. Patience didn't really become the Girl of Steel, and in fact, there was a lot about this entire situation which reeked to high heaven. Not she blamed Alia for what happened, but still, the woman was withholding knowledge.

"There's an advance of chaos magic in the air," Alia said. "And the amount is more excessive than any human being can perform…without tearing themselves apart."

Ella and Kara exchanged one of those gazes with each other. The two woman looked to be trying to communication without any words, but it didn't really work.

"So if it's not a human being, than who is it?"

"Someone more dangerous."

The doors opened and Zatanna stepped inside. Kara and Ella figured if there would be chaos, then Zee would be in the middle of things.

"So, I'm sure you noticed the chaos magic in the air," Alia said, without missing or skipping a beat whatsoever.

"Oh yes, I've noticed," Zatanna said, blowing a lock of hair away from her face. "And it can be pretty alarming, you know."

Alia thought alarming would be a pretty good descriptor.

"The person behind this is Klarion," Alia said. "The name ring a bell?"

"Unfortunately," Zatanna said.

Kara frowned, having heard the name before. Perhaps the League had fought him before, but Kara wasn't present on this mission.

"Klarion is a chaos lord, the personification of chaos in fact," Alia said. "And he doesn't care who gets wrecked in his path. Any alliance with Klarion is fleeting at best. He has the attention span of a sugar addled five year old."

Kara flashed a brief frown at Alia.

"Really, that bad?" Kara asked.

"Might understating things a little bit," Zatanna said.

The energy blips on the world started to blink. Alia walked over to see the overlay and what she saw wasn't pleasing. To put it bluntly, what she saw pissed her off.

"The little shit either doesn't know what he's doing, or knows what he's doing, and is getting off on it!" Alia snapped.

"Which one do you think it is?" Kara asked.

Alia paused to ponder Kara's words, before coming back with the only answer she thought possible.

"With Klarion, the only thing for sure, is nothing is for sure," Alia said.

"Reminds me of someone else," Kara said, with a casual smile.

Alia responded with the most casual of smirks. Given all she had to do in the name of saving the world, some rather important toes had been stepped on.

"So, what's he doing which has you in an uproar?" Ella asked.

"If you want to be honest, he's doubling up on the degradation of the Phantom Zone barrier with the chaos magic in the air," Alia said.

"Last time, Doctor Fate stopped him," Zatanna said.

"And Doctor Fate is not here…so…"

A pop echoed in the building and a withered old imp showed up.

"Finally, I got here….I thought I was going to…..I thought I was going to…." the imp said, starting to hack and wheeze. "Oh boy, bitch boy drains your powers, and suddenly you're not as spry as you used to be."

The Girl of Steel turned towards the imp who looked to be a shell of his former self.

"Wait a minute, Mxy?" Kara asked.

"Yeah, toots, it's my name, don't wear it out….you can't afford a new one," the imp said.

Alia met the fifth dimensional terror a couple of times in the past. He didn't have nearly enough pep in his step. The conclusion Alia reached caused things to go from bad to worse.

"Klarion drained your powers, didn't he?" Alia asked.

"Yeah, suck them out like some kind of big-bad energy vampire," Mxy said, coughing a little bit more. "He's completely deranged….lost his mind, you know….going to destroy all order and bring chaos to the world. Could have told him it was a stupid idea, but you know how chaos lords are. They have a bit of a tunnel vision problem."

Alia paused for a moment and looked at him.

"He has your powers," Alia said. "So you know better than anyone else how to put a stop to him, don't you?"

"Yeah, I might, but it's not like I have the power to do it," Mxy said. "I have barely enough power to do cheap tricks at birthday parties, and not the cheap tricks my sister-in-law does, but boy, let's not bring it up…OWWW!"

Alia smacked Mxy with enough force to give him a concussion had the fifth-dimensional being not been somewhat empowered.

"I need you to focus, now," Alia said.

Mxy knew better than to piss off the scary dragon lady, even with full power.

"If I tell you how to stop him, you can stop me, and this…ceases to be fun for me," Mxy said.

"Everything is on the line, including the fifth dimension," Kara said. "Do you really want some amateur like Klarion to use your powers to destroy all of existence?"

Mxy paused to consider her words, and nodded in agreement. True, the last thing he wanted was an amateur like Klarion to cause a lot of chaos with his powers. So, it would be a good thing, as far as the imp was concerned to stick it to the bitch boy.

"Well, first you're going to have to neutralize his chaos magic," Mxy said. "And good luck in finding someone who can perform chaos magic, especially someone who will help you. They don't grow on trees, you know!"

"I know someone who can tip the scales," Alia said. "At least neutralize Klarion long enough to trap him and reverse the power drain."

Kara wondered what Alia had in mind. Zatanna looked confused as well, which Kara thought put her in good company.

' _I swear, it would be a lot easier to find Doctor Fate, but since he's vanished, I guess we're going to have to trust Alia,'_ Zatanna thought. _'And the imp…hopefully the imp won't double cross us.'_

* * *

A dark haired woman walked out of the cabin. Her jet black hair tingled with scarlet streaks. She dressed in a red blouse and a pair of jeans. A frown appeared over the woman's face as she took a casual look around.

Something was entirely wrong, something was really wrong in fact. Chaos magic seeped into the air all around the girl, which caused her to grow a bit agitated.

Given the flare ups in her powers in the past, this put the young woman on her guard. Something felt wrong, something felt like the universe would rip apart. The only minor solace the girl took was there was no way this could be blamed on her right now.

The woman's spine blew down with shivers.

' _Something's not right,'_ she thought. _'Something is very wrong.'_

An energy orb appeared in the air in front of her, slipping past the barriers of the island. The girl stood rigid, only one person could break down those barriers thanks how the runes had been keyed. The person who brought her in.

Alia's face emerged from the energy orb.

"Wanda, I need your help…touch the orb, and I'll give you more information."

Without any pause, Wanda Maximoff touched the orb.

* * *

 **To Be Continued May 13** **th** **, 2016.**

 _Very wrong is right._

 _And another Marvel character who survived that particular universe's decimation shows up. Good thing too, given all of the chaotic magical energy going around._

 _Can you feel the tension between Kara and Alia?_

 _Old man Mxy amused me more than you could ever think._

 _Until Friday._


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter-Sixty Six: Lord of Chaos Part Two.**

* * *

Wanda knew Alia would not have requested a meeting without any kind of probable cause. Combined with the dark feelings Wanda experienced and the sensational power pretty much going through the air, the dark haired witch knew the only thing to do. The witch touched upon the runes and caused the gates to open up.

Alia stepped inside the gate, but she was not alone. A blonde with blue eyes stepped in. At first, Wanda thought the blonde resembled Karen just a little bit, but there were enough differences to make her look difference. Hence this was very likely and obviously an extremely different person who stepped into the scene. Wanda vaguely remembered running into Zatanna Zatara, the daughter of the famous illusionist John Zatara. The two locked eyes with each other for less than a few seconds and returned with a smile.

Wanda shuddered out of some thinly veiled horror. Something caused her powers to not work as well as they should be. The scarlet clad witch turned to Ala in a desperate hope to get some information.

"Things are pretty bad, aren't they?" Wanda asked.

Alia answered with only the most prominent sign possible and reached forward. She touched her hand upon Wanda's shoulder.

"I won't sugarcoat it at all," Alia said, frowning in the deepest manner possible. "Things are really bad."

Wanda waited for the explanation. Really bad didn't really explain things for Wanda, not to the way she wanted to anyway. The woman sensed the only person who could answer some really burning questions stood right next to her. And Wanda wanted these burning questions answered now.

"It has to do with Klarion," Alia said. "I'm sure you've heard of him."

Wanda hitched in her breath for several seconds. Yes, she heard of Klarion, he was a lord of chaos, one of the most dangerous beings in the universe. One of the few beings who would logically inspire these dark and dreary feelings within her. And one of the few which could be a huge problem if left unchecked.

"Yes, I've heard of Klarion," Wanda said, with teeth gritted closely together.

Heard of him, heard way too many stories about the supposed lord of chaos. The dangerous individual Wanda encountered numerous times in the past would be one where she would not forget any time soon.

Alia sensed Wanda's agitation reaching a bubbling over point, so she grabbed Wanda around the hand.

"I know when magic messes through the air, your powers are…uneven," Alia said. Wanda's eyes locked onto Alia's and she responded with a stiff nod. "But, we need your help."

Wanda decided to take several deep and calming breaths. Alia needed her help. Which meant the situation was pretty dire if Alia wanted her help. The help of someone who could barely control the magic she performed.

"I'll….I'll do my best to help you," Wanda said.

"We're going to need you to kick things up to an entirely new level," Alia said. "Do you think you can do this for us?"

"But only if you're ready for it," Kara said.

Kara noticed a pattern in Alia's actions. Alia had the ability to inspire people to stand up to higher heights. Unfortunately, this ability also was one which would get people killed more often than not. Kara's mood for Alia, despite the situation, worsened when she could see the girl's talents at work.

"No, I understand what has to be done," Wanda said, understanding the blonde's misgivings as well. "And….I'm afraid we haven't been formally introduced."

"My name is Kara Zor-El, I'm….."

"Supergirl," Wanda interjected with a smile. She reached in and got a better look at the blonde. Their eyes locked onto each other. "I know."

Wanda didn't know Kara's identity was now Nightwing, but far be it for the Girl of Steel to issue any kind of correction. They were in such a dire situation. Complete accuracy was not important right now. What was important was working together.

"If Klarion rips apart the world, there will be nothing left," Alia said.

Kara saw Alia's sale's pitch at work, but the problem as Kara saw it was she was right.

' _She's the type of person you don't want to be right, but always is right,'_ Kara thought, heart pounding even more fiercely.

"And we're going to have to work fast," Zatanna said, lifting her hand to place it on Kara's shoulder and giving her a warning squeeze. Kara stood up straight. "Even around this island, I can feel the magic brushing against the barrier. That shouldn't be possible, should it?"

Alia's eyes widened for a moment, but remained calm.

"Wanda, you're going to have to find a way to negate his powers," Alia said. "I know it's going to be hard, and you're going to tap into energies which you might not be accustomed to using. But it will be worth it, if it means…"

"Saving the world," Wanda said, interrupting Alia's words. "Yes, I know I know what's truly important and I'm going to do it."

The firm nature of Wanda's words took Kara, Wanda, and even Alia aback. The quartet of fierce females walked towards the edge of the gates, seeing the energy fields rise up to allow them to exit into the outside world.

"So, did Alia find you?" Kara asked.

"No, it's more like I found her," Wanda said. The chaotic witch stopped and saw the decaying floating imp hovering about three inches away from her face. "Oh, what's…what's he doing here?"

"He's going to give us insight on blocking his powers," Alia said, looking Mxy dead on in the eyes with one of the deepest, darkest, glares the girl could muster. "And he won't give us any trouble, will he?"

Mxy shook his head. Wanda remained at ease, despite her past encounters with the flying pest. They all left Wanda with stories to tell for an entire lifetime.

* * *

Klarion's lips curled into a smile. Sure he didn't steal the imp's full power, but he took more than enough of it to make him a very happy chaos overlord for the rest of his life! Soon, all of order would be stripped from the Earth. All of the enemies Klarion encountered, no matter how powerful, would be crushed. Chaos reigned supreme in the world and everyone would soon be eating out of the palm of his hands.

The lord of Chaos surveyed the handiwork. Some meddlesome do-gooder banished the shadow demons before they had a chance to do some real damage, and once Klarion found out who did so, they would be punished for their crimes. They left their mark on the people of Metropolis. Klarion's eyes followed the progress of a man looking over his shoulder. Every single shadow mad the man a twitchy mess. Klarion just had to laugh at the joy of everything involved.

"YES! True power, true power over the rabble. The lords of order thought they could put chains on me, they thought they could hold me down, hold me back! Make me docile, make me tranquil! The Lords of Order thought with a time out, I would be less…chaotic!"

Klarion flipped his head back to laugh it off. Actually, it would be pretty funny, laughing his head off, but he calmed down with a smile upon his face.

"No, I showed them," Klarion said. "I showed them the personification of power I held over them all. I showed them what true chaos could bring….things which order lacked one hundred percent."

Klarion stepped his fingers one more time. The fifth dimensional power, ninety-eight of it sucked from an extremely powerful imp, flowed through his body.

"Doctor Fate, he met his end a long time ago," Klarion said. "No one quite knows what happened there….we can only begin to guess…couldn't we? His power hit a limit, hit it's end, and now I….well I grew stronger than he could have ever hoped to be."

Klarion's eyes widened with sadistic glee, and fists clenched with more glorious intentions than ever before. The Lord of Chaos swept his gaze over Metropolis. His pets may have been temporarily banished, but the handwork remained. Klarion proceeded to do his best impression of an artist surveying his work after the fact.

"Not too bad," Klarion said, allowing himself a critical eye to analyze what happened around him. "Not too bad at all…but it needs more. The people aren't trembling even enough. They aren't terrified enough by things which simply aren't there."

Klarion channeled all of the magic in the area into a thunderclap. The loud bang of magic created a more prominent force than thunder. The witch boy started to enjoy being overwhelmed by the power.

"Oh, buddy, I tell you, this fifth dimensional power can get to your head!" Klarion yelled, looking forward in the direction of the fourth wall. "I don't know who I'm talking to, but….I'm sure it makes sense by fifth-dimensional logic, doesn't it?"

No one answered Klarion's statement. Time passed rather slowly, almost like two ticks between the hands of a clock grinding extremely slowly.

"Yes, yes, the power will be mine!" Klarion shouted. The practioner of chaos magic stopped and essentially froze cold in the distance. The figure started to feel his heart hammering over the edge of his chest. "Wait a minute, something is extremely wrong here!"

Klarion swept over the area to try to feel something. Another magical entity approached closely. Normally, Klarion would not be unnerved by this, but something about the energy prompted the hairs on the back of Klarion's neck to stand at attention.

The power exhibited by this being caused something else entirely to stand at attention. Klarion started to stammer and sweat.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, WAIT!" Klarion yelled, managing to get himself under control. The giddiness bubbled over to the surface, but it wasn't "school girl with a shiny new vibrator" level of giddiness. "Someone else, draws closer, and this someone else….chaos magic…chaos magic….OH MAMA, FEEL THE CHAOS MAGIC!"

Klarion managed to get ahold of himself before he exploded with excitement. Panting like a dog in heat, the lord of chaos realized he absorbed a bit more than the imp's magic. A bit of his extremely zany personality threatened to break through him.

Contrary to popular belief, chaos needed some control to function as it should. The lack of control Klarion exhibited through his attempt to perform chaos magic alarmed the man.

"Get it together, you need to keep in the game!" Klarion yelled, lifting a hand and bitch slapping himself. The claws raking into his face caused Klarion's eyes to snap back. "Oh, you need to get it together, man!"

Klarion panted heavily with a smile crossing over his face.

"Okay, she's coming….better get ready. Can't be late!"

* * *

Wanda, Zatanna, and Kara stepped into the picture. Metropolis had a real "after the zombie apocalypse" horror feel to it. The people walked on eggshells, trying not to insult anything which might cause them harm. Kara looked over her shoulder, trying to see if she could sense the magical energy in the air.

Kara didn't have enough of a perception of how magical energy worked, but she had enough of it to know where to head. Wanda stopped short and could feel the goose bumps rising on her arms. Kara reached over and placed a calming hand on the shoulder of the younger girl.

"He's close," Wanda said. "Really close."

Zatanna looked up into the air and could see another rift beginning to bubble to the surface. She beamed it with as much of a blunt magical attack as the sorceresses could magic. The magic sealed around the rift, before bouncing back to the Earth. The girls scattered with the magical vortex smoking on the ground.

A loud clicking sound followed, with the rift around then widening in width. Several chaotic entities slipped from the inside, all the way to the outside. All of them looked larger, and more destructive than the shadow demons Kara fought earlier. All of them hovered over the girls and started to cackle in laughter. Sparks flew from the air when going through them.

Kara made the first move and used the demon's head like a particularly gruesome bop back. She started to hammer the demon's head with a series of rapid fire punches. The Girl of Steel swung her fist back and nailed the demon in the head. Another series of punches rocked the demon right across the back of his head.

The demon took a hot breath before sending a breath of hot fire from the Girl of Steel. Kara dodged the attack from the demon and put him into position for Zatanna's attack.

"There's too many of them!" Kara yelled.

"Kara, don't lose your head!" Zatanna warned her.

Kara thought this statement might have been literally, with the demon's razor sharp claws flying out. The claws tried to rip into the Girl of Steel. She switched around and moved around from behind. A series of punches rocked the demon. Each punch caused sparks to fly. The fists also caused fists to blister from Kara's knuckles.

The demon stepped back, arms contorting into large slimy tentacles flung towards them. The slimy tentacles rushed towards Kara at the speed of light. She dodged the attacks with the tentacles flying at the wall. The wall smashed from the tentacles. Kara jumped up and tied the tentacles, before leaping up. A huge swinging punch knocked the demonic entity down to his knees.

Klarion showed up with a smile on his face. The chaos lord drank in the carnage with hunger and smiling on his face.

"Noiralk!" Klarion yelled, and he spread his arms out like an eagle. "Doesn't quite work, does it?"

Klarion spat his name out backwards a couple more times in a mocking way. The Girl of Steel flung an orb high into the air. A flash of light erupted, but Klarion dodged out of the way. He started to grow to the size of a giant, and lifted a beefy fist into the air. The glowing fingers erupted.

"I'm going to crush you!"

Wanda nailed Klarion with a blast of magic. Klarion staggered backwards for a moment, but turned around. Klarion's hand clutched forward and knocked Wanda onto her back.

"Yes, if it isn't my future chaos bride!" Klarion yelled, hovering over the top of Wanda. "You will be mine, my love!"

Wanda twitched on the ground. The chaotic and creepy man looked down towards the Scarlet Witch. A frown crossed over her face when she rose up. Klarion brought down a hammer of energy towards Wanda.

The dark haired chaos magic user pushed back up with sweat dripping down her face. The woman rushed up with the energy and caused Klarion to back off. The dark haired woman bounced up into the air and opened her hand. An energy blast erupted through the sky and caught the goon chest first, backing off.

"You will be mine; you know you want this….."

A blast caught Klarion in the back between the shoulders. A particular obnoxious fly bounced against him. The chaos lord turned around to notice Mxy standing there with his arms folded. The withering old imp looked up towards him.

"The lady doesn't want a part of you," Mxy said. "I'm surprised you actually swing this way, because you don't really seem like the type who fancies the ladies."

Klarion tried to smash Mxy, but suddenly, he flickered out of the way. A holographic energy projector covered a large power dampener which Klarion stuck his hands into.

Wanda channeled the full stream of chaos magic and blasted Klarion in the back. A few blasts nailed Klarion in the back of the neck, causing him to shrink.

"No, you can't do this to me!" Klarion yelled. The chaos lord attempted to rip his hand out of the dampener, but he couldn't do so.

"BONZAI!"

Mxy did a cannonball on the back of Klarion's neck and dug his nails into the back of the chaos lord's neck. Energy strands flowed out of Klarion, back into the fifth-dimensional imp.

Alia stepped over, cranking up the power dampener. Klarion started to shake, hands clutched around the edge of the building, when he shrank.

The demons sucked through the portal, disappearing moment by moment into the portal. Mxy grabbed Klarion and slammed him head first into the side of the building.

"You need to learn your place, bitch boy!" Mxy yelled. "And your place is no one messes with the super boobs, but me!"

Klarion broke free, but another chaotic blast of magical energy delivered by Wanda overwhelmed the weakened chaos lord. The chaos lord started to shake and shiver like a leaf on a tree.

Both of the figures faded into the distance. Metropolis returned back to normal, even though the memories of this last couple of days would return.

Kara stepped back, wondering if it would be safe to breath. The Girl of Steel hoped so, but something told her this would not be safe. She eyed with Alia, who unplugged the power dampener. The magic had been released back into the wild.

"Are you sure it was a good idea?" Kara asked.

Alia answered with a shrug.

"I'm sure it's perfectly doable," Alia said. "The magic is just released back into the wild. Anyone can use it."

And that was about Kara was afraid of. Wanda looked up for a moment and peered off into the distance. The chaos magic user's tenseness increased through her body.

"So, are you okay?" Alia asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Wanda said. The two of them eyed each other. Alia swept her into a comforting hug with a smile. "A bit…a bit off because of the power transfer."

Alia nodded, it was more than acceptable. Mxy vanished, along with Klarion. The two of them would not bother them, at least for a little bit. And the chaos had been averted.

* * *

Klarion collapsed down onto the ground in the middle of a strange realm. Not the good kind of strange, but a bad kind of strange as well. The energy swirling around them came across as extremely strange for a mere moment. The lord of chaos started to gain a full inventory of all of his surroundings. The chaos lord pulled himself to a standing position and almost fell over, slipping into the mud beneath his feet.

The weakness filling the chaos lord made him hate everything.

"Where am I?" Klarion asked.

"Oh, you don't know, do you?" the voice of Mxy started to cackle. "You're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy!"

Mxy's hand raised up into the air and a player piano erupted into the air. The player piano launched through the air and landed on top of the witch boy. Several keys had been knocked.

"I have to say, bitch boy, we can make some beautiful music together!" Mxy howled at the top of his lungs. Mxy followed the progression of Klarion slamming out of the piano.

"Oh, you think you can punk me!" Klarion yelled, raising an arm. An energy blast rose up into the air, but the energy blast contorted into a pair of giant scissors.

"You know, if you want fifth-dimensional magic!" Mxy yelled, causing a pair of scissors to rise over his hand. The scissors twisted around. "You're going to have to work off of fifth-dimensional logic as well. EN GARDE, YOU PUNK!"

The two giant pairs of scissors flashed through the air and clanged with each other. Sparks flew against each other when Mxy and Klarion started to go back and forth. The two sword fought with the giant pairs of scissor. First, Mxy pushed back, but Klarion showed his energy. Klarion shoved Mxy back against the wall.

Klarion started to hammer the fifth-dimensional imp, but Mxy fired back.

"Ha, psyche!" Mxy yelled, hammering back. The two sets of scissors clang back and forth. Energy sparks started to fly in the air.

The scissor fight continued, but Mxy got extremely bored. The scissors disappeared with Klarion flying back against the wall. The chaos lord prepared to open his mouth.

"Oh, shut your pie hole!" Mxy yelled, flipping his wrist.

A large amount of pies began to bombard the chaos lord. Each and every pie caught Klarion in the face.

"Oh, coconut cream!" Klarion yelled, hives breaking out on his face. "I'm allergic for coconut cream!"

Klarion looked like a puffed up person with the skin swelling. Mxy decided to mix things up, adding a couple of Acme brand anvils to the fun and games. A loud crack echoed when Klarion had been nailed on the head.

"You're in my world now, bitch boy!" Mxy yelled, flipping his wrist and causing an energy blast to knocked him into the wall before bombarding the chaos lord more.

Life was a lot more interesting when it wasn't so serious. Mxy cackled at the swollen face of Klarion. It wouldn't last, but he would torture the chaos lord for as long as he can.

* * *

Kara returned to Alia's base of operations. The two women decided to put their tension aside for a common cause.

"You wanted information, if I had it," Alia said. "Well, if turns out, I have it, but I'm not sure if it's to your liking."

Kara always thought this was an auspicious beginning to any conversation. Regardless, the two of them made their way in the hallway, down to the terminal. Alia stepped up and placed her hands on the council.

"Indigo, bring up the latest overlay."

A picture of Earth flashed on the screen. Kara watched a series of red dots appear. Some of them were the size of pinpricks, and others were far bigger. Almost like tears in the dimensional fabric which started to rip even more.

"This looks bad," Kara said.

"It's worse than it looks," Alia said, punching up a deeper look. "The tears are bigger on the other side….which means if they widen on this side of the dimensional barrier…we're going to have a problem."

Kara could take Alia's word for it.

"I think it's safe to say Klarion's escapades sped up the entire process," Kara said.

"Yes, and unless we find a way to close all of the holes, the General will return from his exile," Alia said.

"Zod?" Kara asked. "You didn't say…you didn't…."

"I thought it was obvious," Alia said.

"Oh, I'd say it's obvious you were still keeping things from me," Kara said. The girl's breath escaped in a huff, frowning for a moment.

Alia remained calm despite Kara's mood turning around for the ugly in a hurry. Their alliance remained on shaky ground after the entire Claire fiasco.

"You really want me to be more open with you, Kara?" Alia asked.

"It'd help, so I can trust you," Kara said.

"The truth can be a dangerous thing, Kara, you have no idea," Alia said.

Kara blinked and stared back at Alia. The two of them locked eye to eye with each other. Time grinded by ever so slowly.

"I'm a big girl," Kara said, folding her arms underneath her chest. "I can handle it."

"Can you?" Alia asked. Kara responded with a nod in confirmation. "Fine, you want the truth…my birth name is Alia Dru-Zod, I'm the daughter of General Zod and Ursa."

"Yes, I know this," Kara said. Alia blinked.

"Very good, Kara," Alia said. "But, I'm sure you don't know this…this could ruin your life if I tell you. I don't want to tell you this, because I love you."

"Oh really?" Kara asked, looking at Alia in a challenging tone.

"You really wanted to know, don't you?" Alia asked. A long pause followed. "Fine, Zor-El isn't your father….Zod is!"

Kara punched Alia in the face and knocked her on the ground. The Girl of Steel turned around and broke through an open window. The hot-blooded Kryptonian flew off into parts unknown.

' _Well this could have gone better,'_ Alia thought, trying to snap her jaw back into place.

 **To Be Continued on May 9** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _That could have ended better indeed._

 _Klarion pretty much overextended himself and Mxy is going to have some fun with him, until Klarion breaks free from the hell he's been put in._

 _Until Monday._


	67. Chapter 67

Vote for your favorite chapter of the last week in the poll on my blog.

 **Chapter Sixty-Seven: Twisted.**

* * *

Kara blasted from Alia's headquarters with her face red, hands shaking, and breathing in and out heavily. The Kryptonian survivor started to fly around in an erratic pattern. Kara veered to the left and veered to the right in an attempt to stray a heavy course. The girl's breathing escalated in an attempt for her to try to calm down. Biting down hard on her lip only caused Kara a momentarily blast of discomfort.

The news Kara received startled her and turned everything upside down. Alia looked her straight in the eye and said it. Kara couldn't deny this much. She desperately held onto the fact Alia could have been mistaken. There was something about Alia's tone though which showed Kara the girl knew this to be true. A sickening feeling of despair dug into Kara's stomach and would not let up for any reason. Her breathing escalated into an entirely new level.

Kara slowed down her flight pattern before she crashed into something. One sickening thought haunted the Girl of Steel. It could not help and creep into the back of her mind at this time.

' _I was the one who pushed her for the truth,'_ Kara thought. _'I pushed her to tell me everything, and then….when she told me everything, I didn't want to hear it.'_

Kara thought it would have been best to be blissfully ignorant. Zor-El was far from perfect as a father. Kara wouldn't be defending some of the shadier things he did. His mining into Kryptonian's core set off a chain of events which lead to the planet's destruction. Zor-El played more of enough of a role through ignorance and short-sighted behavior. His father's preference for Jor-El caused a chip to be on the shoulder of the younger brother and lead to a lot of problems.

Yet, Zor-El with his faults could not compare to General Zod. Kara wished for something to take her aggression out on. She stopped in mid-air and listened for a distress signal. Anyone in danger, anyone at all.

' _Oh, for all of the days for crime to take a holiday, it would have to be this one,'_ Kara thought, digging her nails into the side of the face. _'This is wonderful, isn't it?'_

A small boom punctuated Kara's flight pattern. She continued a steady travel around the area. Deep breaths in and out did not solve Kara's problems.

"Kara?" Barbara asked.

"Yes, Barbara, is there a crime I need to deal with?" Kara asked, in a force calm voice.

A long pause followed and Kara could tell Barbara had been thrown off by her chilly tone. The icy exchange between the two girls sounded obviously horrifying.

"No, it's just your vitals are really weird," Barbara said. "Did something happen?"

"You might say something happened, yes," Kara said, retaining a frosty tone when she spoke. "I just came from Alia's. I found out Klarion's little escapades is getting close to causing the Phantom Zone and Earth from having a meeting. The two are going to collide unless either of us figure out a way to stop it."

"Maybe there's something at the Fortress which could stop it?" Barbara asked.

"Maybe," Kara said, glad to focus on this problem, other than the mangled mess which was her own parentage. "Maybe there's something there which could stop it. I'm going to talk to Lara right now, and see what our options are….and you could talk to Helena to see what plan she might have for something like this."

"Yeah, I'll do it," Barbara said. "After all, she has a plan for everything."

Kara smiled at there being at least some constants in the world. Given how much her entire world had been flipped on its ear today, Kara wished to hang onto some sense of normality.

' _Normality in the world of a super hero, completely hilarious when you really think about it,'_ Kara thought, placing hands on the top of her head. _'But, I guess a world ending catastrophe would keep my mind off of it.'_

"There's something else, isn't there?" Barbara asked.

Kara should have known Barbara would not let her off the hook this easily. The daughter of one of the sharpest cops in Gotham City and the protégé of the World's Greatest Detective would know Kara was fine. And her bio-metrics likely told the story of one hacked off Kryptonian as well.

"Just had to deal with some things," Kara said. "Alia dropped some heavy news on me today. I'm just trying to come to terms with it."

"She does have this ability to upset you," Barbara said. A long pause followed and Kara knew in an instant Barbara was trying to decided. "So….."

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Kara said in a slightly salty tone. She didn't mean to snap at Barbara, but at the same time, Kara really didn't want to talk about it.

"You don't want to talk about it?" Barbara asked.

"Yes, Barbara, I believe I made this point clear," Kara said.

Barbara frowned and she looked rather frustrated with Kara's stubbornness

"Well, it's your choice," Barbara said in an even voice. Having access to Kara's bio-metrics in her suit showed why it was not a good idea to piss off a Kryptonian in this state. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, but if I were you, talking to someone would be the best way to get something off your chest. Even if it isn't me."

Kara would think about it. Right now, more pressing patterns visited the Girl of Steel. Namely the fact the universe could be days away from ending. The Phantom Zone and Earth colliding with each other ranked higher on Kara's list of priorties than her own inner personal drama.

"I'm going to talk to Lara about the Phantom Zone collision," Kara said. "I'll keep you posted."

"Right, and I'll get in touch with Helena," Barbara said. "Same on my end?"

"Good, we'll do lunch," Kara said.

Kara turned and took the plunge into the Arctic water towards the secret entrance of the Fortress of Solitude.

* * *

Alia sat in her study and looked at the overlay map. The Daughter of Zod carefully studied every single inch of it. Anything to help her slow it down, instead of speed it up.

"They're just going to grow," Indigo said after completing the third scan of the day. "Unless you close them from inside the Phantom Zone, but that's even riskier than your initial plan."

"Yes," Alia said, placing a hand underneath her chin to ponder her choices. "But, it may be our only option."

"It's an insane option."

Karen stepped into the room, hearing what Indy suggested to Alia. Karen stopped short of looking Alia in the face. The two locked eyes with each other. Karen's eyes traveled down the bruise underneath Alia's right eye.

"So, what happened?" Karen asked.

"Kara punched me in the face," Alia said.

Kara almost laughed at nonchalant Alia acted.

"Of course she did…why did she do it this time?" Karen asked.

Alia returned around to the computer to go over the overlay between the Phantom Zone and the Earth for another time. Every single angle caused Alia more distress. It did allow her to avoid the pressing question of her half-sister punching Alia.

"I told her the truth about her parentage," Alia said, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "And needless to say, she didn't take it too well."

Karen loved Alia, but damned if the dragon lacked a whole lot of tact at times.

"I would have punched you in the face at that age as well," Karen said. "And I thought you decided not to tell her about that, because it would cause problems. It would cause her to doubt herself, and her place on Earth. And Rao only knows what it would do her self-confidence."

"You don't have credit in how she can bounce back, can you?" Alia asked. "I have all of the credit in the world in her, and I have all of the credit in the world in you."

Karen smiled. Alia did have a lot of credit in her girls for various reasons. Sometimes the credit pushed the girls to the highest expectations. Karen wanted to excel she really did.

"I'm concerned it will cause her to lose face in her mother as well," Karen said.

"Zod wasn't always the psychotic bastard we knew before he had to be put down by the Council," Alia said. "By Kara's aunt…oddly enough, and I don't mean Lara either."

"Talk about someone who wouldn't have been looked on favorably either," Karen said, with a frown on her face. "The Council railroaded her big time, and…they made Alura the hatchet woman for this, under threat of imprisoning her daughter for not being a natural birth."

Alia's blood boiled. The Kryptonian council caused her home planet to be destroyed and sent her to an adopted world where she became famous. For all of the wrong reasons she became famous.

This world disappeared, and Alia was here.

"Great military leaders often had been driven mad dealing with the Council," Alia said. "Of course Brainiac ended up screwing them all over in the end."

"Yes, and I cannot believe they corrupted my programming in such a way," Indigo said, sounding a bit emotional, at least for a machine.

"Now you can atone for his sins," Alia said, smiling at Indigo. "And we can start by formulating a plan to get inside the Phantom Zone and reverse the damage from the inside."

"I did warn you this was dangerous," Indigo said.

"You did warn me," Alia said, a grin crossing over her face. "But, the end result is worth the risk."

Alia knew of all of the dangers of stepping into the Phantom Zone at this time. One misstep could mean the end of her existence. Not stepping inside the Phantom Zone could be the end of the existence of everyone on Earth. And she wasn't certain the rift would stop in claiming the Earth. Exit points from the Phantom Zone existed all throughout know galaxies. Many planets used the zone as a dump for all of the criminals.

"Are you going to ask Supergirl for help?" Indigo asked.

"She's Nightwing now," Alia said in a distracted voice. "And no, I'm not going to ask her for anything. I'll handle this on my own…it's too dangerous, I don't want to lose her."

"None of us want to lose you either," Karen said.

"Yes, I'll agree."

Wanda stepped into the room dressed in a black shirt and jeans with her hair tied back in a ponytail. The chaos magic user crossed the room and took a couple more steps towards Alia.

"So, you're sticking around, aren't you, Wanda?" Alia asked.

"I have to," Wanda said. "I swear, do you really think you would do it on your own?"

Alia smiled, she wouldn't have to do this on her own. The Dragon had a contingency plan in case something slipped through. The League was still at her disposal and more than capable.

* * *

Kara waited to hear Lara's assessment of this entire situation. An overlay display of Earth and the general area of the Phantom Zone popped up. It matched the one Alia popped up to the letter. Kara was astonished how much of an exact duplicate it was.

"This pretty much collates with what Alia said," Kara said. "Guess she wouldn't lie about something like this, but still, I needed a second opinion."

"You were wise to seek out a second opinion, Kara," Lara said, giving her niece a warm smile. "There's something vexing you, isn't there? Something is bothering you. I can tell, it's written all over your face."

Kara paused for the longest moment possible, not knowing what to say. Not knowing if there was anything she could say at this moment. Lara's warm eyes and accommodating smile prompted Kara to get over herself and say what happened.

"Alia told me something….she said she's the daughter of Zod and Ursa," Kara said. "Granted, this wasn't a surprise for me, nor was it…well it wasn't unexpected, you know. And then she told me something else….I can't believe it, but….there's something about it which makes a lot of sense."

Kara took a deep breath and sank down onto an ice block. Thinking it over and saying it out loud proved to be polar opposites of each other. The Girl of Steel continued to blink and breath in an desperate attempt to get these thoughts out of her mind and out into the open.

"Kara, relax, no need to force it out," Lara said in her most gentle tone of voice. "Just tell me at your own speed and everything will be fine."

Kara appreciated her aunt's understanding.

"Alia told me Zor-El wasn't my father," Kara said. She spoke in the same darkened tone of voice. "Zod is."

The pause became long and hard. Lara looked at Kara for a time before coming up with the bluntest response possible.

"So what?"

Kara had been taken aback by Lara's words. She never expected this response, not in a million years. Shock, disgust, sympathy, any of those responses would have been something Kara expected. The last thing she expected was blunt indifference coming from her aunt. Kara rolled over these thoughts in her mind.

"So what?" Kara asked, corking an eyebrow in response. "Aunt Lara, I'm not sure you heard me. General Dru-Zod, one of the greatest monsters the universe has ever seen, was my father."

"Yes, Kara, I heard you the first time," Lara said. "And again, I ask, why does this affect you so much?"

Lara's nonchalant statement threw Kara completely and utterly off guard.

"Did you know?" Kara asked.

"My programming had not been included with this knowledge," Lara admitted. "Whether or not I knew in real life, I can't say. But, as I said, it doesn't matter. Alura and Zor-El had been arranged to be married by the council. The same thing with myself and Jor-El….Alura went against the council's wishes and had you naturally. The same with myself and Claire. Had the Council knew, you would have been marked as genetic misfits and had been exiled and isolated."

Kara nodded, knowing all too well what the Council's opinion on natural creation happened to be. Every Kryptonian had been born for a purpose in life, whether it be a scientist, a doctor, a soldier, medical, a teacher, or a politician. Kryptonians bred their politicians from birth for this purpose. It seemed absurd when Kara thought about it.

"When I had the incident with the Black Kryptonite, I acted a lot like him, didn't I?" Kara asked. "I acted a lot like Zod."

"You did have some things in common," Lara said. "If Zod is your father, you inherited his ability to rally people and his tactical brilliance. The other qualities though, you got them from Alura."

Kara clung onto the hope Alia had been mistaken. Yet, with each passing second, Kara thought it made too much sense Zod was her father.

"Zor-El knew," Kara said. "He just didn't care….because he didn't want the marriage to my mother anyway. In his own way, he rebelled against the council's expectations, or rather, my adopted grandfather's."

Kara wondered why Zor-El would stay with Alura if he knew.

"But, if Alura got disgraced, then he would have gotten disgraced as well," Kara said. "So, he would have had to maintain the charade of marriage….even if he didn't…..even if it was hallow."

No one would know any different. Most marriages on Kryptonian were a formality, an arrangement. Some of them arranged since before the grandparents of the principles involved were born.

"You're just speculating, Kara," Lara said, agreeing Kara might be onto something.

"Yes, I know, but….I don't have much else to go on, other than Alia's word," Kara said. "And boy did her word turn my world upside down."

Kara decided not to let this dig into her mind completely. The Girl of Steel had one thing in mind. She needed to focus on the task at hand. Her problems could wait, the destruction of the Earth.

"I've found an anomaly," Lara said, switching the subject over. "And it's growing fast. Something from the Phantom Zone is heading directly to Earth."

"Can you pinpoint where it is?" Kara asked, without missing a beat. Relief, in a strange way, filled the Kryptonian.

There were dozens and dozens of tiny pinpricks. Kara exercised great care with trying to isolate the right one. Interdimensional travel could be a real trip and a half. Go through one hole and you could end up two thousand years into the past if the planets were aligned right. Or alternatively two thousand years into the future. Math was completely important here and just as frustrating as it was normally.

Kara hated to admit she almost hoped for some trouble. It would give her something to do and something tangible to strike. She would have to push for the truth and got it straight in the face like a cold bucket of water.

* * *

A group of a dozen well-dressed men and women sat around the board room at the LuthorCorp headquarters. A rather impressive looking man with neatly groomed greying hair and a mustache stood at the front of the table. The man gave the air of a gentleman who wanted to conquer the world and didn't care which important toes he needed to step on to get there.

"It's been two years since Lex Luthor perished in a tragic accident," the man said. "We've been working in a holding pattern, finishing up projects which have been established since Mr. Luthor died. Now, we need to move on and move forward in our lives. I vote we appoint a new head to LuthorCorp."

"And who do you propose, Carmichael?" one of the females asked in a slick voice.

Roger Carmichael, a man who had been hired by Lionel Luthor years ago and had managed to stay onto the company all this time, smiled. Everyone around the table knew the scheming man all too well and knew who would suggest.

"Given, I'm the senior man at this table, I believe the choice should be obvious," Carmichael said. "I've worked here since even more some of you had been born. And I feel I've helped hold this company through some rather tough times. Helped hold things together despite the obsessions from both Lionel and Lex Luthor, may they both rest in peace."

Carmichael paused for long enough to brush a crocodile tear away from his face.

"I have big plans to move this company further into the future," Carmichael said, gaining even more of a stride. "I'd call to a motion for a rebranding. The Luthor name has a taint on it which we should try and remove for this company. A new day dawns and we should take advantage of having a fresh slate by wiping everything completely."

"So a complete re-branding?"

"It's for the best," Carmichael said. "The days of this company's funds being squandered on some flight of fancy is over. It's time for us to move on and move forward."

The door opened up and the Board of Directors looked up. A red haired woman stepped into the room. She dressed in a conservative female business suit with a no-nonsense expression to match. A tall and leggy blonde stood off to the other side of her dressed like a secret service agent. She would be beautiful if it had not been for the look on her face which signaled she would punch out anyone who looked at her cross.

"I'm afraid this is a private meeting," Carmichael said. "How did security let you get past?"

"Security let me get past because they know who signs their paychecks at the end of the day," the mystery woman said. "My name is Alexandria Luthor. I'm the twin sister of Lex."

"I don't believe it," Carmichael said.

"You don't have to believe me, we can go straight to the courts for you trying to undermine my company," Alexa said, placing the documents down on the table. "This is copies of the proof….showing I'm Lionel's daughter and showing I went to University in Europe, where I ran one of the LuthorCorp subsidiaries over there for the past five years."

The Board Members passed around the documents she set on the table. Each document looked legit and they would know a forgery when they saw one, being masters of deception in their own right.

"We were not aware Lionel had another daughter, he sent away," one of the board of directors said.

"You were running things well in Europe though," Carmichael said. "I've seen the reports of how good the companies over there are doing, and it's impressive. Why would you come over here now of all times?"

Alexa looked like a fox cornering a particular scared rabbit.

"I want to right the wrongs," Alexa said. "My brother destroyed Metropolis as fast as he built it. He allowed himself to be defined by Superwoman."

Alexa could tell the board all looked to be nervous by her. Good, she hoped to make them extremely nervous. It would keep them on their toes and put them in line where they should be.

"I'm sure some of you are thinking what right do I have to come over here now," Alexa said. "Why would I come over here now after all of these years? The fact is very simple. You need my help, and you need my help badly."

Alexa held up a briefcase in her hand. Some of the members of the LuthorCorp board of directors viewed the briefcase with curiosity. Others viewed it with nervousness.

"I'm sure you people know how this game works," Alexa said. The woman opened the briefcase just enough so the board of directors could get a view of the documents and pictures inside. "We can do things the easy way, or the hard way."

The board's eyes were on them. Carmichael in particular, who had been so bold and brash, shrank in his seat.

"The easy way is you step back and let me do what I can to save my company and to save this city," Alexa said.

"And what is the hard way?" one of the board members asked.

Alexa responded with a smile, hoping the board would be on the ball to figure out the obvious. There were times where the obvious ended up being less than obvious though.

"Some of your less positive virtues would be brought out to the public eye," Alexa said.

Carmichael imitated a backfiring car engine with his sputtering. He rose to his feet and looked Alexa, almost dead in the eye.

"You're blackmailing us?" Carmichael asked.

"Blackmail is such a tawdry term," Alexa said. "I provide incentive to play the game by my rules. And it's a game you're not going to cheat me out of."

The members of the Board of Directors familiarized themselves with the ins and outs of blackmail. All of them realized they dealt with a master of the game.

* * *

A disturbance occurred outside of the central square of Metropolis. A strange light appeared in the sky and a vortex started to swirl. A group of uniformed military personnel surrounded the area and walked in.

"Keep on your toes boys, there's something wicked coming on through," one of the military men said, clutching the gun rather tightly when moving forward. "And I don't think any of us are going to like when it does."

A whisper could be heard and three figures lowered onto the ground. The skeleton figures wore dark robes stretched over their bony frames. They moved forward with the ground withering and plants decaying underneath them.

"Fire!"

They fired weapons at the skeletal figures. The bullets withered and decayed before they could pierce the bony form. They were not for certain whether it would have any tangible effect to begin with.

One of the men had been grabbed. The other military men stepped back and watched in horror when the life force drained from the man. He turned into a fit man into a rotting corpse in a matter of seconds.

The other military men stepped back in shock as the trio of phantoms descended upon them. They didn't have a hope of stopping what was to come next.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on May 13** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _Kara has to deal with certain revelations and boy is it a tough one to swallow. Lara puts it in perspective though._

 _And another Luthor pops up and oh boy, shit's going to hit the fan. Some people may be able to guess where the wind is blowing with this one though._

 _And it's an invasion of Dementors. Well not really but close enough._

 _See you on Friday the 13_ _th_ _._


	68. Chapter 68

**Chapter Sixty-Eight: Terror from the Phantom Zone.**

* * *

Alia walked into her lab at the sound of the blaring sirens which identified one of her alarms. These sirens never spelled out anything tangible or really any kind of good news. Alia noticed them popping up over the system when sitting in her study and relaxing for a little bit. The Daughter of Zod entered the lab and walked across the overlay which had been put up. One of the entrance points glowed a more prominent shade of red which caused Alia to raise an eyebrow.

"It's what we feared," Indigo said. "There's been a breach, and this time, something has gone through the breach. It's heading directly for Metropolis."

Alia set her jaw with an intense frown, trying not to make her face freeze in this position. The Daughter of Zod scrambled over in an attempt to figure out what was going on. She typed across the computer and tried to bring up something which could show where the phantoms were coming in. A combination of relief and unease spread over Alia's face the moment she completed the search query.

"On the bright side, there's only three," Alia said, holding in her breath and letting it out at this moment. "On the negative side, three of these phantoms will and can cause a lot of damage unless they are brought to justice."

Alia closed her eyes for a second and tried to figure out the best method to deal with this. Indigo decided to helpfully pop off with some words of her own.

"This looks like a job for Supergirl."

Alia thought Indy was correct in this point. The Daughter of Zod wasted little time in picking up the phone and dialing it. She only got the answering service.

"Kara, I know you're mad at me, and rightfully so," Alia said. She paused to let it sink in. "I thought you should know the Earth is being invaded by really dangerous Phantom creatures. As in, they're going to rip apart the Earth and every single person on it, unless you help me, right now. Let me know if you get this message."

Alia knew how some people could get when they had been put into a depressed funk like this. She couldn't even say Kara got this quality form Alia because technically the two of them weren't related. Well they were, but at the same time, they weren't. Alia didn't have much time to split hairs about this. The relationship was distant at best.

"She's taking it far worse than I did, isn't she?"

Alia turned around to see Karen standing in the doorway. Karen dressed and looked ready to head out at a moment's notice to do some fighting against the dangerous individuals from the Phantom Zone.

"You know, hindsight being what it was, I should have told her sooner," Alia said, moving over towards the cabinet. "Unfortunately, it's hard to just slip in something this ground breaking into a casual conversation. I can't just pop off and say, 'oh, by the way, Zod is your real father. So how about we get a cup of coffee and maybe watch a movie?'"

Karen barely was able to place her hand against the side of her mouth to block the snickering. The buxom blonde took a few seconds to reconcile her thoughts.

"Well, when you put it that way, it's pretty hard," Karen said. "And if it wasn't for Alura's AI, I may have not come to terms with it as well. She…explained the circumstances."

"Remember, we're living in an alternative time stream now," Alia said, walking around the corner and going up a set of stairs. "The circumstances in this particular world are much different than the timeline we had come through. Kara being brought out of the box early proved this much."

Karen wasn't going to correct this matter. The fact she still lived indicated something kept them firmly anchored into the timeline. Karen wasn't about ready to look a gift horse in the mouth to make sure all of the teeth were intact.

"Just wish we had a way to find out if we actually succeeded in saving the future," Karen said.

"Yes, I do as well," Alia said, looking a bit thoughtful for the moment. She brushed strands of hair away to look out and gaze from the window. "The one interesting thing about the future is it's never set in stone. There are always variables."

People talked about destiny. Alia disagreed about the very concept of destiny. She preferred to make her own destiny and also her own opportunities.

Alia clicked open the edge of a closet and saw a nice sleek black costume with a silver and crooked "U" shape on it.

"There it is, after all of these years," Alia said, smiling when looking over the costume.

"I wonder if it still fits," Karen said.

Alia gave Karen a look of bemusement and raised her eyebrow.

"Are you trying to imply I'm getting fat?" Alia asked Karen.

"No, I'm not trying to imply anything like that in the slightest," Karen said, frowning deeply.

"It doesn't really matter anyway," Alia said, bringing the suit out of the containment case. "The suit's going to stretch and ensure it fits the person wearing it anyway."

Alia raised her hand and the suit liquefied before coming up her finger. The two of them bonded once again. The Daughter of Zod stared forward and noticed the Legion Ring also in the case. Burned out with no charge, and no way to get one during this time period.

' _If only.'_

Alia turned around to look at Karen, touching hands upon her hips. Karen decided to look at the stretchy black material which fit Alia's body like a second skin. The buxom blonde found herself tempted to use her x-ray vision, but there was no point. The material allowed Alia full movement without the constraint of clothes and the illusion of actually wearing them.

"Carefully," Alia said. "You're going to burn the room up."

The two of them moved out to go save the day. Alia knew Kara would pull herself out of her funk and join them soon enough.

* * *

Kara sat in the middle of the Fortress of Solitude. The news from Alia reached her even though Kara didn't have it within her to pick up the phone and start talking to her half-sister. Well technically speaking, Alia was Kara's half-sister. A really hot half-sister which Kara performed acts of hate sex with.

She really didn't want to think about that. The incest taboo, well Kara had no problem with it. She never got some of the hang-ups Earthlings had on certain things. Some of them anyway, some were a bit too ambitious for Kara's liking.

Kara decided to shake her head and focus on the overlay flashing in front of her. Several points of entry flashed and one glowed red.

"You know, she wouldn't lie to you about something like this."

Lara's soothing voice cut through Kara's thoughts of self-doubt. Kara rose to her feet and looked over to the Fortress. The Girl of Steel took in every single inch of wonder inside this magnificent Fortress, ending with her cousin, still submerged inside a stasis field.

' _Eighty-three percent,'_ Kara thought. _'Oh, Clara, I wonder what you would think of me now.'_

"She was pretty honest with the truth earlier," Kara said, walking out and going over towards the edge of the Fortress.

Kara took a couple of moments to contemplate the next move. Several thoughts swam through her mind. Kara took a second to consider a more drastic measure.

"It's right there where you left it."

"This is a big step," Kara said, taking out the familiar red cape, and blue and red costume. It shined in her hands and resembled something even more pristine than ever before. "I know what I'm going to have to do…and I'm going to have to do it now."

"The world might need some beacon to rally behind in this darkest hour," Lara said. "And not someone who fights criminals from the shadows."

Kara thought her aunt had a point to be honest. The Girl of Steel walked around the Fortress and thought what she needed to do. The hole above Metropolis needed to be shut.

' _I think I can do it,'_ Kara thought, a smile appearing over her face. _'It's time to step out and take charge of things.'_

Kara typed in a command and noticed the central point in Metropolis. She wasn't sure if Alia came to the same decision she would.

"Did you find out something, Kara?" Lara asked, sounding a bit interested by what her niece could have found.

"The hole is being drawn open by some atmospheric force over Metropolis," Kara said. "If I find a way to misdirect the atmospheric force, the flow of the hole will be reversed. There's a ninety-five percent chance the Phantoms will be sucked back into the hole and be delivered from harm on Earth."

Kara cupped a hand underneath her chin and frown deepened at another thought. She had another bad thought coming to mind.

"And there's always the five percent margin of error," Lara said. "The one where Metropolis will be brought into the Phantom Zone and all of the people will be ripped apart."

Kara hesitated for a second. This blatant playing with lives was the very thing she would be upset at Alia for doing. It made her sound like a hypocrite.

"There has to be another way not to run the risk," Kara said, fingers whirling at a super fast seed.

"Kara, time is running out," Lara said. "So, I'll save you the trouble and tell you there isn't another way. This is the best chance you have. You might not be able to stop the breach, but you can slow it down and buy you more time. Even at the risk of Metropolis being sucked through."

Kara took a moment to step back and nod, before walking off.

The Girl of Steel returned, dressed in the full Supergirl costume for the first time since her cousin had been in stasis. Kara's face cracked into a bright smile when she took a long look at herself.

"This looks like a job for Supergirl!"

Kara took flight and made her way outside of the Fortress at the speed of light. It envigorated Kara to be back in business and back into the costume, to save the day.

' _Let's see if I can save the world now.'_

* * *

A group of armed personnel made their way on the ground. The commander walked forward. The area had been roped off. The creatures wouldn't stop for any reason, continuing their rampage throughout Metropolis. It was the hope of the commander they could be slowed down and eventually stopped.

"Make sure you don't let them touch you," the commander said in a rough tone. "You blast them and back off with each shot. Choose them wisely because they could be your last ditch effort to take them down."

The men nodded, knowing the score. They aimed the weapons and began to fire at the creatures.

Bullets had no effect, neither did laser fire. The creatures powered through every single one of the attacks and kept going forward. The tendrils shot forward and grabbed one of the nearest men.

"Fall back!" the commander yelled. "It's too late for Sampson…fall back!"

The men fell back behind the line. The vehicles they hid behind withered and they moved closer. Their helicopter, the best means of transportation, far away from those monsters weathered.

Two blasts of heat vision fired from the air and herded the creatures away. The commander looked up, mouth wide open at the scene above him. It was difficult to put something coherent together. The two figures in the air above him continued to attack with reckless abandon and fired more blasts of heat vision.

Power Girl hoped this little thing they whipped up, this mini-containment unit would work. She flicked the black orb onto the ground and it exploded. Several silver bars shot up and encased the Phantom Creature within it. The creature struggled against the bars and batted against it. Any attempt for the creature to get through.

"I don't know how you did it, but you got one of the creatures trapped and backed it off."

A buxom blonde dressed in a military uniform stepped across. She had a body which could match Karen's and the material of the uniform hugged her curves quite greedily. Every single inch of her body poured into this uniform. The shoulder length hair cut and the burning blue eyes topped up the outfit.

"We're not out of the woods yet," Karen said. "Ms…."

"Special Agent Carol Danvers, I work as a freelancer, in partnership with the DEO," the blonde said with a smile on her face. "And you are…."

"We can't tell you our real names for obvious reasons," Karen said. "I'm Power Girl, and this is Ultrawoman."

Alia raised her eyebrow at the codename Karen spontaneously gave her. She wasn't the biggest fan of codenames. They seemed a bit too comic book for her liking. To her credit, Alia rolled along with the punches.

"We're going to need to get them back to where they came from," Alia said.

"Any ideas how to do that?" Carol asked. The commander opened his mouth to protest. "It's obvious we're just throwing spitballs at a battleship. They actually captured one and caused the other two to flee."

"At least for the moment," Karen said, looking up into the sky. It wasn't a bird, it most certainly wasn't any kind of plane, and it sure wasn't Superwoman. "And here they come again."

Alia knew the containment trick would not work as it did on their brother. These creatures were rather devious. Sending them back to the Phantom Zone in this current state would not be a good idea either. The loop within the Phantom Zone would just spit them back out.

"We're going to have to figure out a way to destabilize the hole above our head," Alia said, pointing up in the sky. "And we're going to have to figure out a way to do it before it either sucks us all in or spits something more dangerous out."

"What…more dangerous than this?" the commander asked, finally finding his voice.

"Yes," Alia said. "Trust me, there are things which are far more dangerous than this lurking in the Phantom Zone. Things which would make your skin crawl."

"So what do we do?" Carol asked.

Everyone looked up in the sky and could see a very familiar fly out into the picture. Two silver discs held into her hands and she flung them. Two bright lights appeared around the Phantom wraiths and submerged them around the energy field.

"It won't hold them forever," Supergirl said. "We're going to have to work quickly."

"Supergirl?" Ultrawoman asked.

"Yes, I'm here," Supergirl said. "The hole…we can send them back…if we relieve the atmospheric pressure around the hole."

Ultrawoman stopped to consider this point for the longest moment. The thought entered her mind rather quickly and the smile crossed over her face when thinking about it more.

"Yes," Ultrawoman said. "It could work…it has to work."

Alia realized there was a slight chance everyone could also be sucked through the vortex and be a permanent resident of the Phantom Zone.

' _Kara?'_ Ultrawoman asked.

' _Now, you're in my head?'_ Kara asked, but she calmed down.

' _We did sleep together, it left a backdoor in your head for me to enter,'_ Alia thought. _'I just didn't enter it until now because it would be an invasion of privacy.'_

' _Please don't remind me of that mistake….you have to tell me something, don't you?'_ Kara asked, managing to get her thoughts together in a rapid fashion.

' _Yes, I do,'_ Alia thought. _'You're running the risk of sucking most of Metropolis through if you do this…I can't let you go through with this, without giving you this information.'_

' _I already knew this,'_ Kara thought. _'And I need your help and Karen's help…and those things won't hold them forever.'_

Alia paused for a moment. So her sister really knew of risks now. It lifted a huge burden off of Alia's shoulder and simulteanously worried her. Kara was willing to take a drastic action, which really showed how dire the situation had turned in a matter of moments.

"So, what do we need to do?" Ultrawoman asked.

"The three of us need to fly backwards around the area of the vortex, in sync with each other," Supergirl said. "I know I'm faster than you two, so do your best to keep up."

Ultrawoman thought she deserved that one. Supergirl took flight around the area of the vortex. Ultrawoman followed and Power Girl joined the fun and games. All three of them cycled around the vortex. Several sparks flew around them when they went around the vortex, flying over and over again the hole.

"I think it's working!" Power Girl yelled.

Carol, the commander, and the rest of the soldiers watched. Their nervousness grew when one of the Phantoms burst out of the containment unit.

"Okay, now direct it away from the Vortex!" Kara yelled. "It's time to send them back."

The three Kryptonians resembled super powerful blurs when they circled around and around the area of the hole counter clockwise. Their actions created a vacuum effect.

"We could get sucked through as well!" Karen yelled.

"No we won't, just keep flying, you'll see!" Kara yelled. "Have some faith in me!"

"She's right, we just got to keep flying, don't pause, not for anything!" Alia yelled, kicking up her flight speed and going around the hole. She started to loop around the hole. Something was happening and this something started to draw energy and heat into the area of the vortex above their heads.

A crackle of hot intense energy followed and now it was the moment of truth. The moment where they would see whether or not this mad plan would work. Whether or not the Phantoms would be sucked back or Metropolis would go into the Phantom Zone in pieces. No time to look back now, rather it was time for them to continue to cycle around over and over again.

The cyclone effect caught up the Phantoms and lifted them up into the air. The phantoms sucked into the portal. One of them tried to struggle and fight with everything.

Supergirl, Power Girl, and Ultrawoman stopped fighting. They dropped to the ground. Kara and Karen's costumes had been reduced into a few charred remains, which gave everyone on the ground an eyeful. Alia's costume remained intact thanks to the unique material on it.

The Phantom Zone tear returned to its normal pinprick shape. It glowed and threatened to break open one more time at a moment's notice.

* * *

Karen returned to her civilian clothes and joined Alia.

"The good news is, no one was around except for the covert, and top secret government like people," Karen said. "So, my goodies aren't going to be all over the Internet by tomorrow morning."

"Really?" Alia asked. "You're not giving the Internet enough credit if you thought they would wait until tomorrow morning to put your goodies out on display."

Karen smiled, the truth to be honest, and Alia spoke it quite eloquently and fairly bluntly. The buxom blonde picked up a glass of coffee and took a long sip, pondering every single thought.

"So, Kara didn't want to join us?" Karen asked.

"She said she had a lot to do," Alia said. "The fact she left without punching me, I'd consider that to be progress, wouldn't you?"

Karen chuckled in response. She lifted up the coffee cup and took a big drink from it.

"You would consider it progress," Karen said. "And she helped us during a crunch."

"Yes," Alia said. "She would….I know she would…she has that quality inside her…even if I turned her entire life upside down."

The truth often could be a completely awful thing. Very few people understood the truth and even less people comprehended it.

"She wasn't one for conversation though," Alia said. "I'm really glad she didn't shove me into the Phantom Zone rift along with those two phantoms."

"I'm sure the thought may have crossed your mind," Karen said. "I love you, Alia, but there are times where I want to shove you through a really big black hole."

Alia smirk in spite of this entire situation. Karen did bring a smile to her face, which distracted her from the extremely dire situation at hand, at least for a few moments.

"Yes," Alia said. "The Phantoms, they're only the beginning of our problems. They're the harbinger of something more dangerous."

The hole of Metropolis returned to the state it was before the strange atmospheric disturbance. It wasn't getting any stronger, in fact, the holes were going to widen. All hands needed to be on deck for them to accomplish something.

* * *

Kara returned to the Fortress, dressed in a white shirt, black jacket, and blue jeans she nabbed from the penthouse. The Girl of Steel returned to the stasis chamber room and walked over towards the pod. Her cousin's blank face stared back at her.

"Eighty nine percent, huh?" Kara asked. "This is taking forever. Chloe told me stories about how dial up Internet used to be….the horror stories about how slow everyone was. Especially people who wanted their porn and wanted it now."

Kara leaned up against the wall and looked straight into Claire's face. No answer back from her. The opportunity to have a conversation with her cousin was something Kara cherished, more than anyone could even know.

"I stopped them, stopped them from invading, but for how long?" Kara asked. "I helped Alia….we worked together well, despite the fact I was sorely tempted to throw her into the hole for everything….but, I was the better person, Claire. I took a page out of your book. You know, out of your little girl scout manual?"

Kara laughed at the thought. The Kryptonian survivor touched a hand up to the edge of the tank.

"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like, Claire?" Kara asked. "If Krypton survived….I suppose Krypton was doomed to explode anyway someday. You would have both loved it and hated it. You would have had even higher expectations than you had on Earth…and….well I think you could have succeeded. You were just stubborn like that, to prove everyone wrong. You got this from Lara."

Kara closed her eyes.

"But, it certainly doesn't matter in the end," Kara said. "It doesn't matter about your bloodline, but rather what you do. And I've made friends, close friends here on Earth. And no matter what Alia says, you're still my cousin, even if it's not by blood.

The Girl of Steel wiped a lone tear away from her eye. Ninety-two percent, she noticed out of the corner of her eye.

"I hope when you wake up, when you get better, you'll still find it in your heart to love me," Kara said, tears streaming down the young woman's face. "I hope you're still find it in your heart to love the daughter of a monster. You saw up close what I could become…and I'll be damned if I let it happen."

Kara pushed back the nagging thought about not being able to fight her inner nature, the darkness which swam around the corner of her mind.

"I just hope you'll love me, despite not being my biological cousin, and me being a daughter of…Zod," Kara said, choking out the last word. As if saying it, made it final and accurate.

"Don't worry, Kara, she will."

Lara's astral form hovered at the end of the hallway. Kara walked over to go and check on the latest scan.

Neither of them noticed Claire's eyes flicker open and show signs of life.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on 5/16/2016.**

* * *

 _Kara and Alia are at least working together to deal with a more dangerous threat._

 _That crack about the Internet was true. People who were around before the Internet was a mainstream thing which everyone seemed to have no idea. Back in my day, we had to walk fifteen miles in the snow to get a good connection._

 _Okay, maybe not, but you get my drift. Anyway, I'll just start yelling at a cloud now.  
_

 _And Claire is waking up._

 **To Be Continued.**


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter of the week voting is at its usual place.

 **Chapter Sixty-Nine: Prodigal.**

* * *

Alia Dru-Zod hated surprises and hated being out of control. Her days planned out so meticulously, so carefully, and so clearly, one could almost think she was a little bit obsessed with some levels of planning. Her obsession ran extremely deep in some levels of having everything picture perfect to the level.

This entire Phantom Zone mess threw off her game plan just enough to frustrate her. She knew it had been coming for a long time. Now with Klarion's little escapades with the imp's powers, the rifts were growing at a more accelerated rate than they had before. She didn't have much time at all. Not as much time as she wanted to regardless and more importantly not as much time as she needed to carry out these plans.

More importantly, and most frustratingly, a new player introduced herself on the chess board. Alia wondered how this person fit into the plans and more importantly where she came from. The Daughter of Zod memorized the official story Alexandria Luthor gave about being in a boarding school over in France. Alia just wasn't for certain she bought what Alexa was saying.

A knock on the door brought Alia out of her thoughts.

"Come in."

The door opened up and a strikingly beautiful red head entered the room. She was all business now. Her red hair came down past her shoulders and striking green eyes flashed with an intensity which chilled most people to the bones. The woman sauntered forward and stared down Alia.

Lutessa Lena Luthor, better known as Tess Mercer, hated when her plans for the day had been ruined as well. And on this day, her plans had been ruined.

"My sister showing up out of the woodwork has thrown off a lot of people," Tess said, frowning. "Strange, considering I don't recall having a sister so I wonder what the hell is going on here."

Alia answered with one of the more crisp sighs she could have ever given. She returned to the information which had been given regarding Alexa. The Daughter of Zod combed it over with her usual obsessive meticulous behavior. Every single instance of it checked out, almost a little too well. Luthors were known about their webs of deceit which often held up under scrutiny for the most part.

' _I'm going to have to pick the strand, find the weak strand, and start yanking on it,'_ Alia thought for a long moment.

"Does this concern you as much as it does me?" Tess asked. Alia raised an eyebrow at Tess. "This just reeks as one of Lex's schemes from beyond the grave. Something to take control of his company through a proxy which has been programmed to cater to his every whims. He tried to manipulate me into doing his dirty work."

"You weren't so easily manipulated though, were you?" Alia asked.

Tess smiled and when Lex found it out, it didn't end too well for her. It almost ended up in her own death. Lex assured her many times it was for her own good. Tess never bought this particular line of explanation for obvious reasons.

Alia saved her from her own gruesome fate and the two stood together here. Tess wouldn't say they bonded over it, and the two of them shamed a connection.

"Anyone who collars the LuthorCorp board of directors is off to a good start," Alia said. "And it does prove she is who she says she is, a Luthor true and true."

"And her arrival threw you off," Tess said. Alia answered with one of those cross looks Tess noticed in an instant. "You don't do thrown off well."

"No, I don't," Alia said.

Thankfully Alia could adapt if push came to shove. It would be harder for her than most. She could do it, she could adapt. Alia Dru-Zod found herself to be a rather adaptable creature in the roughest of circumstances.

Tess placed her hand on top of Alia's. The two of them shared some moments.

"I couldn't legally contest this," Tess said. "Well, I can, but it would be hard. It would lead to a lot of weird questions about the fact I'm not really dead."

"Yes," Alia agreed, seeing where Tess came from. "This could be a problem."

Both women hated the control they lost in this particular situation. Tess took a seat next to Alia to get a load off of herself.

"Still no luck in finding a way in closing the breaches in the Phantom Zone?" Tess asked.

"No," Alia said, pecking away on the computer. "Not without taking an incredible risk which is becoming more likely with each passing day. Observe."

Tess, being of extraordinary brain power, understood the simulation straight away. The woman's frown started to deepen when she viewed every single last moment of it as it popped up. Watching the simulation caused her to frown deeply.

"You do realize this is suicide, don't you?" Tess asked.

"No more dangerous than some of the other things I've done," Alia said, before smoothly switching the subject. "You still have your contacts, don't you?"

"Yes," Tess said. "It's harder to find out information when you're dead. I've made it work somehow."

"See what you can find out about Alexa," Alia said. "See if you can check into the school Alexa went to and check into where she's actually been in Europe. If she's been anywhere in Europe."

"You really don't buy her story, do you?" Tess asked.

"It's a well placed web, perfect, strong," Alia said. "It's a web of deceit worthy of a Luthor."

"We just have to find the strand which is the weakest and begin to pluck at it," Tess said, with a frown. This was a dangerous game they were playing. If this was one of Lex's plans, Tess wanted in on the ground floor of disrupting it. She had a bit of a score to settle.

"You know better than anyone else," Alia said, leaning in to kiss Tess, a kiss which the redhead eagerly returned. "But, I don't think it's fair you came all of this way just for a chat, is it?"

* * *

Alexandria Luthor made it her business to have full run of the LuthorCorp office and more importantly the high profile computer systems. She only came out of hiding because the Board of Directors were about to dismantled her company and legacy by changing it. The Board managed to fall into line under the threat of blackmail, or leverage, rather.

Now, Alexa had the entire company at her disposal. A couple of projects Lex left behind looked tantalizing. The reasons behind them, less so. His obsession towards super powered beings drove him into the grave. This was not a mistake Alexa intended to repeat any time soon.

The bigger problem, as Alexa saw it, had to do with her and her own heritage. She knew the story by heart. The fact Lionel shipped her off when she was very young to Europe. Alexa didn't really fit with Lionel's plan for the Luthor dynasty. Lex did, she was a daughter who had been a spare.

This entire situation sounded to be very in character for one Lionel Luthor. Every single bit of it sounded solid and sound.

' _There's something off.'_

This thought echoed in Alexa's mind time and time again. She couldn't put her finger on what was exactly off. Just something was off and it was going to annoy her for the rest of her time here.

Alexa's frown increased the more she considered a few ideas. Namely the fact she had these memories without too much of an emotional attachment to them. Red flag popped up in Alexa's mind and would not be sent down by any means.

The lost Luthor daughter sat herself down and hit the record button.

"My attempts to find some flaw in this story have not checked out just yet," Alexa said. "Even before meeting with the LuthorCorp Board of Directors, I've interviewed several of my former teachers and classmates. Much to my surprise, and my frustration, they are adamant they have remembered me, and have nothing, but the best things to say about me. These memories match up to the ones in my mind."

Alexa picked up a cup of coffee and took a long swig before continuing with her information.

"These memories are in my mind," Alexa said. "The only difference is they are not recalled with the same sunny disposition as my former teachers and classmates. There is something wrong with these memories. Something extremely phony, like they had been placed there through artificial means and not genuine memories. What are they covering up?"

The Luthor heiress started to fire up the computer. It once belonged to Lex and it had been heavily encrypted.

"The memories and the documentation are there, the feelings are all off," Alexa said. "It's like someone told me this was the case through repetition. The memories are deep in my mind. My subconscious is another matter."

Alexa took a moment to enter Lex's system. She would know what she was looking for. The woman hoped against all hope Lex didn't wipe this particular information from his computer to cover his tracks.

No one knew about this room of Lex's. Alexa found it because of a vague feeling she had. A vague feeling which stirred even more suspicions.

"My subconscious is full of mysteries," Alexa said. "Dreams are not understood by many. I feel it could unlock the truth. A relaxed brain without any distractions will bring up memories which are forgotten by the conscious mind. And my mind has recalled one word much stronger than the others. Prodigal."

Alexa shut off the recording device. The Luthor heiress worked through the computer and tried to find any trace of this Project Prodigal.

"Project Prodigal, here we go," Alexa said. "It was an attempt to clone Superwoman."

A scoff escaped from the back of Alexa's throat. Lex's obsessions always proved to be rather intriguing, to say the very least. And rather predictable to say the least. Alexa continued to read.

"The clone degenerated, and morphed into a male," Alexa said. "Right, Bizarro….the creature is currently locked up in the care of a high security government facility for observation. The creature's mind didn't function properly. With only a logic which could considered backwards and a destructive power set which was a danger to himself and others, putting him in the custody of the government was the only right choice."

Alexa read over this file constantly, trying to pick apart some information. It didn't serve her any or answer any of her questions. The long lost daughter of Lionel Luthor took a long sip of her coffee.

"There has to be more."

The fierce woman dug deeper into the system and found some notes from Lex. He theorized adding human DNA to Superwoman's would add for a more stable clone and would be used as a failsafe in case of a sudden and unexpected emise.

Alexa's frown deepened. The file cut off here. A quick and frantic search of the system caused her not to find anything.

"DAMN IT!"

Alexa swore while crushing the coffee cup in her had. The metal coffee cup crunched in her hand like it was a piece of tissue paper. Alexa dropped it to the ground and looked down in shock.

The pieces slid together in a somewhat organized fashion, the best they could in these particular circumstances.

* * *

Kara received a message from Alia which was both weird and disturbing at the same time. Granted, Kara thought there was a lot of what that girl was up to which was equal parts weird and disturbing. Regardless, the Girl of Steel heard the name, Project Prodigal and got Chloe in on the situation.

"Well, this is interesting," Chloe said, a smile crossing her face. "And not highly unexpected, but interesting never the less."

Kara wore a look upon her face like she didn't want to play around. Chloe smiled and decided to give her the information.

"Project Prodigal is an abandoned LuthorCorp experiment which was made for the purpose of attempting to clone Superwoman," Chloe said. "I don't even want to pretend I know how Lex thought. I'm pretty sure though he decided to clone her, since he couldn't have her for his own."

Kara thought this was both true to form and a bit creepy as well. The Girl of Steel folded her arms underneath her chest with a smile.

"The clone didn't work," Chloe said. "It lead to the entire Bizarro mess. Last time I heard, he's locked up."

"So do you have an address for where this experiment has happened?" Kara asked. She prepared to head off right now. "And why did Alia even mention this to me?"

"I think if it involves your cousin being cloned, you have the right to know about it," Chloe said. "Although, something tells me it's deeper than this."

"I'll head out, you find me an address," Kara said, making her way to the window.

Supergirl prepared to fly. Millions of questions entered Kara's head. The entire Phantom Zone mess caused her to have some sleepless nights. The fact she was Zod's daughter haunted Kara's dreams as well. The latest news about another Luthor showing up out of the blue always put Kara on the edge.

"321 Clancy Drive," Chloe said, and the hacker's face went into a frown. "You might be able to find some information there, but I'm not completely sure."

"Anything is worth a shot," Kara said, kicking up her speed. It wasn't too far from there. "Thanks, Chloe."

"Any time," Chloe said.

Supergirl kicked up. 321 Clancy Drive was not far from where she was. The Girl of Steel accelerated and kept flying to her location, landing down on the ground.

The lab had the air of a place which had been abandoned for quite some time. This didn't ease Kara's mind any to be honest.

' _Here goes nothing.'_

Kara pushed open the doors of the lab which allowed her entrance. She stepped inside, cape hovering. A humming sound could be heard.

"So, you got my message, good."

Kara whipped her head around so quickly she almost gave herself a case of the whiplash. Two figures stood in the lab across from her. This shocked Kara because one of them was supposed to be dead.

"Tess Mercer?" Kara asked. "No way, you're supposed to be dead!"

"Well, I got better," Tess said, flashing Kara a smile. "And you should know better than anyone else, dead doesn't really mean dead in our line of work."

Kara couldn't deny this fact. She had seen people come away from a lot worse.

"Let me guess, Alia interjected herself into the situation, and saved you before you bled out completely," Kara said.

"Yes," Tess said. "She popped in at the last minute. The body in my grave is some Jane Doe which has been transfigured to look like me."

Kara responded with a nod. A lot of this made sense.

"I work for Checkmate still, there are a lot of people in this organization which are supposed to be dead," Tess said. "It's a lot easier for people to go on covert missions when they're supposed to be dead. Then when they have a family and friends to go home for."

"Guess so," Kara said, turning to Alia with a crisp gaze. "So, you wanted me to find out about Project Prodigal? But you didn't see fit to tell me what it is?"

"I figured you could find out on your own," Alia said, touching her hand to Kara's shoulder. Kara didn't make any motion to correct this particular answer. "You're pretty bright, Kara. I have to say there are times where you're too bright for you own good."

Kara smiled; she was going to take this particular statement as a compliment. Regardless, she remembered she was dealing with Alia and there was a very good reason why she brought her into this.

"His obsession with her has no particular bounds," Tess said, looking from Kara and Alia with curiosity. There was a lot of tension between the two. And not just the unresolved sexual kind either, okay maybe a little bit.

"Yes, his obsession lead to his death," Kara said.

"Lex was a driven man," Tess said, trying to figure out the best way to describe it. "Many Luthors are. Our drives and our wants twist and turn into obsessions. Those obsessions eventually cause us to lose our minds. I can't even begin to describe how this might frustrate someone."

"I think I have a pretty good idea," Kara said, looking Tess long and hard in the eye. "It led to Lex's demise. And we're here…what are we hoping to find?"

"Something like this?" Alia asked.

Kara slowly turned around, eyes focused on a pod. A pod cracked open and there was dripping green juices onto the ground. Kara recognized it as some kind of stasis fluid. The Girl of Steel walked over and frowned, looking over everything around her.

"It's been opened recently," Tess said, trying to access the computer. "Damn it, the computer's been fried, I can't get inside."

"Let me take a crack at it," Alia said. Tess stepped aside and allowed Alia to attempt to work her magic.

"Anything?" Tess asked.

"Nothing at all," Alia said with a frown. "Someone wiped the computers completely clean…which means someone had to open the pod."

"Who would it be?" Tess asked.

"Unless it had been programmed to open at a certain time," Kara offered.

Tess and Alia locked eyes with each other. Kara thought, and not for the first time, Alia communicated with someone without using any words whatsoever.

"You know, this might be the case," Alia conceded, looking over towards Kara. "It just might be the case…we're going to have to take a better look around the facility to see if we can find anything…or anyone."

Kara really hoped they did not have another Bizarro situation on their hands. The last one was entirely frustrating to say the very least.

* * *

Alexa flipped through her own records so much it was beginning to get a bit repetitive. The information about Project Prodigal flashed out in her mind. The fact Lex either didn't complete the research or chose to omit the final stages made Alexa feel like a dog chasing her tail. The woman closed her eyes for the longest time possible and thought about it.

A firm knock on the door brought Alexa out of the cascading amount of thoughts in her head. The person on the other end knocked for close to a minute before Alexa managed to calm herself down long enough to answer the door.

"Yes, come in."

A strikingly tall blonde dressed in a female business suit ensemble. The skirt was modest and showed off her muscular legs. She looked like she could crush anyone.

"Yes, Mercy, what is it?" Alexa asked.

"Ms. Luthor, just to remind you, there will be a press conference in about an hour," Mercy said. "And you don't want to be late for it….the Board would use it as leverage against you."

"Yes, those vultures would go after anything they can use to pick my bones," Alexa said, frowning deeply. She slid away the folder underneath her desk. "Well, rest assure I will be there on time."

Alexa thought about something and frowned. Mercy stared at the woman for several minutes before speaking.

"Is there something wrong?" Mercy asked.

"Mercy," Alexa said, pausing long before deciding to delve into this particular line of question. "You worked for my brother for years, haven't you?"

"Yes, for three years, up until about a month before his death," Mercy said.

Alexa frowned, this could be a problem if Mercy stopped working for Lex before he died.

"What do you know about Project Prodigal?" Alexa asked.

"It was part of his…obsession with Superwoman," Mercy said. "I assumed he scrapped the project after the Bizarro creature had run wild and he needed to be stopped by the combined Justice League."

Alexa noted that had been left out of Lex's reports. So there were many things which had been left out of Lex's reports.

"Did he, at any circumstance, say he was going to try again with Project Prodigal?" Alexa asked.

"I can't say if he had or not," Mercy said, looking a slight bit anxious. A look which Alexa assumed had been foreign to the normally strong woman. "He did know he was dying. This was around the time where he reassigned me."

"So, he wanted to go out in a blaze of glory," Alexa said. "And you didn't tell anyone? That Lex knew he was dying?"

"No," Mercy said. "No one ever asked me. By the time he died, I was working security detail for some of LexCorp's offsite projects. Making sure no heroes got involved and raising the alarm. A lot of those projects had been taken and confinsicated by the government."

"Thank you, Mercy," Alexa said. "Now, if you excuse me, I have a press conference to prepare for."

"Of course, Ms. Luthor," Mercy said. "If you need me, I'll be right outside."

* * *

Lois Lane made her way out to cover the LuthorCorp press conference. A female Luthor appearing out of the woodwork was a cause of great interest for Lois.

Cat joined her, along with Chloe, and Kara as well. Several other very important people showed up.

Lois looked up and noticed Alexa Luthor make her way to the stage. She walked with the poise of a Luthor.

"She seems to have the confidence down, doesn't she?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah she does," Lois said, folding her arms. There was something extremely off about this entire mess.

Lois Lane had a rather keen sense of "BS" detection being a reporter. While this woman didn't set it off completely, there was more than enough where Lois would keep a closer watch on her. One side long look at Kara showed Lois she wasn't the only one who was nervous again.

' _Then again, if anyone has a reason to not trust a Luthor as far as they throw them, it would be Kara,'_ Lois thought. _'Although she could throw them pretty far.'_

Alexa Luthor walked up to the podium and began to clear her throat. All eyes were locked onto her.

"The future is always right around the corner," Alexa said. "And despite some problems over the past few years, I'd like to put the past behind us and focus on a bright and glorious future. My twin brother did some really bad things I'm not proud of. And I can't change the past. I can only make a promise for the future which I can keep."

The people hung on Alexa's every single word, showing she had that Luthor charm which would make sure anyone would listen to what she had to say.

"Communication is the key to functioning in the high-tech world we live in," Alexa said, clicking a remote control device and flashing images on the view screen. The images of a high tech satellite flashed on them.

Kara watched it. It looked high tech. And also it could control weapons from anywhere on Earth.

"I can assure you while this satellite has the capabilities to control weapons, this was not my intention," Alexa said, almost as if she read everyone's mind. "I intend to use the satellite to improve the communications. We at LuthorCorp are confident everyone in the world can be closer together. And this can be the beginning of a relationship with our friends from a distant galaxy. And who knows, maybe we will find an alien race who won't try and invade us?"

Several people laughed. Kara cringed a little bit. Most alien races would just leave the people of Earth and elsewhere alone. It was this select few who caused problems.

Kara noticed a tall blonde woman walk towards her and push a note into her hand, with a pass attached to it.

' _Meet me here. We need to talk, 247.'_

Curiosity hit Kara, even though this reeked of a trap.

 **To Be Continued May 20** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _Well, Luthor family drama. That's always fun._

 _Something big is going to happen. And I'm sure people may be able to figure out who Alexa is supposed to be based of, kind of, if you read between the lines._

 _Thanks for reading._


	70. Chapter 70

**Chapter Seventy: Run Off.**

* * *

Kara's danger senses instantly hit the red zone at this note. This entire mess reeked of some kind of trap and yet, she found herself extremely curious about what this was all about. The Maiden of Might thought it was a bit odd Alexa wanted to meet with her completely and utterly out of the blue.

And yet, Kara's curiosity also bubbled even more than her dread. This Luthor heiress popping up out of the blue most certainly caused Kara to think about kind of scheme was going on here. Could she be connected to Project Prodigal? Maybe, just maybe, this was entirely a coincidence. Kara doubted the second statement. In her line of work, one could not believe in a coincidence happening. There were just too much happening.

Kara caught someone looking at her off to the side. Helena Wayne stood in the midst of the press conference. The Girl of Steel did not notice the Wayne Heiress until now. Then again, Helena maybe didn't want to be noticed until now, until she positioned herself in such a way to get Kara's attention.

"I received a note," Kara said, stepping over towards Helena. Helena looked towards her and waved a hand. This allowed Kara her opportunity to step forward with more of an explanation. "It came from Alexa Luthor, she wants to meet me and she wants to meet me in private."

A long pause followed between the two women. Kara gave Helena a side long look in an attempt to gouge the woman's reaction. There were some days where it was quite frankly hard to tell where Helena Wayne came from in her thoughts.

"Interesting."

One word raised more questions in Kara's mind then there did answers. The Girl of Steel shifted her attention towards Helena.

"So, do you think it's a trap?" Kara asked. Helena gave her one of those side long smiles. "And of course you think it's a trap. You think someone handing out free balloons is a trap."

Granted, Kara was pretty sure the Joker pulled off the handing out free balloons scheme to gas someone before, so perhaps Kara shouldn't make fun out of this one. Still, Helena had the tendency to be extremely careful with anything she did and rightfully so.

"I think it's ill-advised for you to come up alone," Helena said. "And I was wondering if you would like to come with me."

"You're going up there as well?" Kara asked.

"Yes," Helena said. "I want to ask Alexa Luthor some questions. There are minor inconsistences about her past which don't check out."

Helena thought the most vexing element was the document was there in black and white, there was just something extremely false and phony about the stories people were telling. Despite the fact numerous people swore up and down they met Alexa and said she was the joy, Helena didn't buy these stories for a second.

The two of them watched the press conference wrap up. Kara and Helena turned and made their way casually through the mass of people to the side entrance of LuthorCorp. Mercy stood waiting for them, arms folded like the security guard she was.

"We're here to see Alexandria Luthor," Helena said, allowing the bomb to drop. "Both of you."

"Yes, Ms. Luthor is expecting both of you," Mercy said, without missing a beat. She turned around and proceeded to lead them down a corridor.

Kara and Helena both put themselves on high alert. It was possible this was an innocent meeting. Helena inched in to whisper towards Kara for a few seconds.

"Stay sharp," Helena said to her.

Kara allowed herself a courtesy look over to the side. She knew the score right now. Kara wanted to find out answers, but she would not be stupid about getting them. Hooking up with Helena allowed her the best chance of getting them.

' _If anything I should have consulted with her from the beginning.'_

Mercy pressed a couple of buttons in an efficient and business like maneuver. The elevator opened up and allowed them to enter. Kara and Helena followed Mercy into the elevator.

"Ms. Luthor has been busy at work," Mercy said. "Ever since she returned from Europe."

"Yes, Europe," Helena said. "How much did you know about her before she showed up?"

"It isn't my place to tell you these things, Ms. Wayne," Mercy said. "If you have any inquiries, you should take them straight to Ms. Luthor."

Helena thought this particular response to this line of questioning was coming. She filed this one underneath the fair enough category.

"Why did Luthor want to see me?" Kara asked.

"Well, your night job makes you a person of interest," Mercy said. "Lex may have figured it out as well on some level as well, but never had a chance to act on it."

"He would have never allowed himself to think someone of super powers would take a civilian identity," Helena said. "Because, he would not allow himself to think someone who could rival him could ever be considered normal."

"An interesting assessment, Ms. Wayne," Mercy said. "But, I'm here not to talk about my late employee and any theories he may have had, or you may have about him. We're here for you two to have a discussion with Ms. Luthor."

The doors opened up and Mercy walked over to the intercom, pressing a button.

"Ms. Luthor, they're here to see you."

* * *

Whitney West zoomed back to get a better look at the surroundings. Everything always moved so fast there were times where Whitney forgot she needed to slow down and smell the coffee.

A massive jail break at Iron Heights caused Whitney's day to get a little worse. Someone sprung some of her more dangerous enemies from Iron Heights.

"This is the end for you, you pretender!" Mirror Master said. "I don't even know why I'm bothering to waste time with you. You're not the original Flash. You're nothing, other than a joke."

Whitney heard this song and dance pretty constantly ever since taking up the mantle of the fastest woman alive. She could see Mirror Master's hard light duplicates flash to light. She needed to find the mirror and destroy it. She dodged the hard light duplicate punches.

"Maybe, I'm not the Flash which inspired you to put on that stupid outfit," Whitney said, running on the wall and allowing herself to get a full few. "I'm the Flash who can still put you down and hard."

Whitney pounced on the Mirror Master and caused the duplicates to disappear. She removed all of his little toys, before spinning around.

"One day, Flash, I'll get my revenge…."

Whitney punched him out, not wanting to hear any super-villain monologue today.

"You won't get your revenge…us on the other hand…we're going to make sure you burn, before you're put on ice."

The Fastest Girl Alive turned around and noticed Heatwave and Captain Cold the latest two rogues to put their names in the hat. Heatwave pointed his heat gun at the Flash.

' _And attacking of the Rogues continues, this season on Fox,'_ Whitney thought, outrunning the flames the best she could.

Heatwave shot more flames than a YouTube comments section at Whitney She circled him to avoid the flames from connecting. Whitney picked up a garbage can lid and hurled it at Heatwave.

"You set her up," Captain Cold, clicking the cold gun in. "And I knock her down."

A blast of concentrated cold aimed towards Whitney. Whitney propelled herself to the air. The cold gun was one of the things which could take her down. The Fastest Girl Alive started to run in circles around Captain Cold, and he kept firing his cold beams at her.

"One day, Flash, I'll have you," Captain Cold said, not bothered by the fact the Flash was outrunning the cold beans. Snart averted his wrist downward. "It's only a pity your mentor disappeared, and I have to deal with the second stringer."

Whitney almost argued about being called the second stringer. A skid of ice appeared underneath her feet and Whitney slid on the ice at super speed and smacked into the wall.

Captain Cold smiled and stepped over to aim the cold gun. Whitney almost rose to her feet. The ice started to rise up her ankles and covered her body.

"Slowly, the air leaves your body, and slowly your lungs begin to freeze," Captain Cold said. "It's a perfect end to a not so perfect speedster. Wouldn't you say?"

"Not today, Cold."

Whitney spun her arms at super speed and created a warm wind which allowed the ice on her legs to be melted. Captain Cold fired at her. Whitney zipped out of the way and made her way behind Captain Cold.

"Okay, I'm back in the game, and this time, I'm going to finish the job," Heatwave growled, pointing the gun at his speedy adversary. "It's the end for you, Flash!"

Whitney didn't think it would be the end. Both Captain Cold and Heatwave tried to attack her at the same time. Whitney zipped out of the way and heat and cold beams hit each other which canceled themselves out.

One punch smacked into Captain Cold's chest. Whitney ran all the way across the street and knocked Heatwave out. The Flash relieved both of them of both cold and heat guns before running across the street.

"Not too bad," Whitney said. "Costume is a little scorched, but…hey, not bad for…the secondary Flash."

Whitney shook her head to clear the cobwebs. Thoughts entered the girl's mind about how the original Flash vanished in a blast of bright light a couple of years ago. She ended up saving the world, and left Whitney to fill some big shoes.

' _I can never be my aunt,'_ Whitney thought. _'But, I can try my best to be her.'_

Someone targeted the League big time during that period. Aquaman dropped down dead, Batman, Green Arrow, Whitney was pretty certain something bad happened to one of the Green Lanterns as well. Many bad things occurred in a short time. Only now did Kara put the League back together. The death, as temporary as it was, of Superwoman, put a further damper on any future plans.

A boomerang aimed at her head almost brought Whitney out of her thoughts, not to mention having taken her head completely off. The fastest woman alive whipped her head around in time to notice Captain Boomerange perched on the ledge, his trademark weapon of choice. The latest of her rogues to be busted from prison.

' _Seems like I'm back to the races,'_ Whitney thought, sucking it up. _'Hope you're proud of me, Iris, because this is supposed to be my day off from university.'_

* * *

"I'm glad you came up with her, Ms. Wayne," Alexa said, leading both Kara and Helena into the office. "I intended to contact you because your ability to uncover information which had been hidden could be very useful to me."

Alexa offered Kara and Helena to sit down in front of her.

"Would you care for something drink?" Alexa asked, watching as both of them sank down in chairs in the office.

"No thank you," Helena said, positioning herself in a nice position.

"No, I'm fine," Kara said, thinking taking a drink form a Luthor would be not advised.

Alexa shrugged it off and did not continue to press the issue. She poured herself a cup of coffee, adding an ingredient which made it a little bit stronger. The Luthor heiress settled down for a moment in front of Kara and Helena.

"I'm not my brother, no matter how much of our DNA we share, and no matter if we shared space in the same womb," Alexa said. "Something I have my doubts about."

"Oh, do you?" Kara asked.

"Project Prodigal," Alexa said, slapping the folder of information down on her desk. "I'll give you the short version of it. It was my brother's obsession with Superwoman hitting an entirely new and obsessively disturbing level."

"Yes," Kara said. "Tell us more."

Alexa knew they both knew more. Someone had been poking around LuthorCorp information and she would have a good idea who it would be. Still if they wanted to play this particular game, it was more than fine with Alexa? She would match them the best she could.

"I know my past," Alexa said. "I've called various people from my past, teachers, old classmates, who have verified my past. I called the school I went to in Europe to get a copy of my records and they sent it to me, and it all matched up with what I remember."

"And yet, something is hallow?" Helena asked.

"Yes, everything is hallow," Alexa continued, frowning when she flipped through the papers. "And I found out something interesting….Lex did have a twin sister."

"What?" Kara asked, this was news to her.

"He buried all evidence of her deep, and Lionel….well it wasn't something he cared to acknowledge either," Alexa said. "It took me a while to find out when Lex and his twin were playing as children, his twin slipped and fell off of the dock during a storm. She hit her head and drowned."

Alexa looked out the window, and sighed.

"Lionel had a private funeral, and Lex was sworn never to speak of her again," Alexa said. "And Lex did what he was told. He was far from an only child. He had another younger brother, who died underneath suspicious circumstances. Lionel paid off the medical examiner to say it was Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, a freak accident."

Kara looked for a moment at Alexa and could see her eyes shaking. The Girl of Steel had not seen such emotion from a Luthor in the past.

"Lex was there when both of them died," Alexa said.

"Do you think Lex killed them?" Helena asked.

"Not intentionally," Alexa said. "When he killed Tess though, it was intentional. He wanted to be the only person be worthy of the name Luthor…even young. He wanted his father's full attention."

Kara figured there was something a bit messed up with the Luthors, given how they could get obsessed. She could not help and feel sorry for them.

"LuthorCorp's legacy and reputation has really suffered because of Lex's obsession with the super powered," Alexa said. "And before them, Lionel's obsession with the Traveler, and then Lex's obsession which followed."

Alexa took a moment to collect all of her thoughts. There were a lot of things entering in her mind.

"So, what do you think?" Helena asked.

"I don't know what to believe," Alexa said. "When I find the missing piece of the Project Prodigal Puzzle, I'll know for sure. Until then though, I feel like I'm just grasping at straws, with no way around it."

Both Kara and Helena exchanged one of those side long glances with each other. A long moment paused as Alexa rose to her feet and walked over towards the filing cabinet. She pulled out a folder.

"Lex is dead, and it's time to move onto a new age," Alexa said after a long moment's pause. She set down the folder. "Here's a list of all of Lex's weapons stashes I've been able to uncover. Most of them have weapons which were intended to take down either you or Superwoman which he never had a chance to use. Destroy them before someone else finds them."

Kara did not know what to believe.

"We'll figure out who you are," Kara said. "Who you really are. It will be fine, trust me."

Alexa appreciated the sentiment from the Girl of Steel, she really did. The problem as Alexa saw it ended up as everything she knew was a lie. All of the people from her past must have been hired by Lex to fabricate the story. Why would they do so after he was dead?

If she was the missing piece of the Project Prodigal puzzle, Alexa had her answer. She would be some kind of means for Lex to continue his legacy long after his death. There were no two ways about it as far as Alexa was concerned.

The fact Lex's subconscious lingered deep inside Alexa's mind put the girl unease. She shivered at the very thought of this particular problem.

"I'll be in touch," Helena said. "You have a lot to do."

"Yes," Kara said. "And…we'll check out your lead and take out those weapons."

Alexa hoped they would. She couldn't even begin to think what happened if those weapons landed in hands which were not able to use them. Not even the wrong hands, just hands who were pretty careless.

The weapons also could be used against any invading forces. Alexa wasn't blind to the fact there were Kryptonians who were not as benevolent as a pair of super powered cousins.

A buzzing sound brought Alexa out of her thoughts. The Luthor heiress rose to a standing position and stepped over to answer the Intercom properly.

"Yes, Mercy, what is it?" Alexa asked.

"There's been a security breach downstairs," Mercy said.

Alexa's lips curled into a frown. It did seem extremely odd there had been some kind of security breach. The woman took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"I'm on my way."

* * *

Tess knew a lot of the backdoors into the secret areas of LuthorCorp. Thankfully, all of them had remained the same since her near death experience.

"Project Prodigal," Tess murmured to herself. "Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."

Tess walked over and activated the computer. The computer started to blink to life and Tess began to punch in some commands on it to activate it. She took several minutes to get it started. The adrenaline began to pump more heavily through her body. This was the same general area where Lex put a knife through her stomach and caused a lot of problems in the first place.

Never be afraid, she was a Luthor, even though having not been raised by one.

"You know, sneaking around is a good way to get yourself killed….even if you should already be dead."

Tess turned around and came face to face with the older sister she never thought she had for several minutes. There were very rare instances where Tess found herself at a distinct loss for any words and this was one of these times.

"I'm surprised you've come here, Tess," Alexa said.

"Yes, and I should have known you'd be keeping a close eye on this place," Tess said, tensing up for a moment.

"Relax, I'm actually glad you're alive," Alexa said. "And I'm sure he would be very proud of your survival skills as well, in his own twisted way. I'm not him though."

Tess raised an eyebrow. So many questions, and not enough answers.

"Who are you trying to convince of that, me or you?" Tess asked.

The question hung in the air like an overreaching stench. Neither Luthor female had anything to say to the other right now. Alexa thought Tess's question held some merit.

"I gave a list of Lex's old caches to the League, so they can hopefully track down the weapons," Alexa said. "There's something the satellite picked up….some kind of rift in space of time."

"There's not a rift in space and time," a voice said, which caused Alexa to turn her head around to a figure in the shadows. "There's multiple rifts in space and time."

Alexa looked and noticed a figure step forward. She dressed in a tactical suit which stretched around her body. The woman had dark hair and enchanting green eyes which Alexa had to stare into for a moment.

"And you can come out of the shadows as well, Kara, if you want to be a part of this conversation."

Alexa blinked and noticed Kara and Helena stepping out of the shadows as well. The five women came in close to each other, none of them knowing quite what to say in a situation like this one.

"I'm afraid we haven't been properly introduced," Alexa said to the mysterious woman.

"This is Alexandra Evans," Tess said. "But, everyone calls her Alia."

"A pleasure to meet you, then," Alexa said. "And judging by the look on your face, you wish it was under much better circumstances."

"Yes, pretty much," Alia said. "And we're meeting under some of the worst circumstances."

"Let me guess," Kara said after a few seconds pause. "The rift in the Phantom Zone is getting worse and it's getting even wider…."

"Yes," Alia said, taking a moment to look Kara in the eye for a few seconds. "Unless we can think of something and soon, the only way to seal the Phantom Zone rift is by going the inside."

Kara hitched in a long breath and started to blink. This was exactly what they were afraid of.

"Some of the best minds are in this room," Helena said. "Maybe we can figure out a solution which doesn't have such a big risk."

"If you have any ideas, we're all ears," Tess said, wishing she could come up with a solution.

Kara had a sense Tess talked with Alia about this. The other sense was Alia didn't really know about Alexa until she became public a few weeks ago.

The thought of Alia not knowing something, anything at all, had to make Kara smile in response. The smug thoughts faded instantly when Kara reminded herself what was important.

* * *

Whitney thought she was done for the day, but of course not, she couldn't be done for the day. A figure appeared in front of her, wearing a Flash suit, only in reverse. The yellow parts were red and the red parts were yellow. A pair of glowing red eyes could be seen in the distance.

"Thawne!" Whitney yelled. "As if my day wasn't bad enough, you would have to show up."

"Yes, Miss West, I can see you're not pleased," Eobard Thawne, better known as the Reverse-Flash, said. "But, you should be happy to see me because during my last encounter with the Flash I returned to the future and it wasn't bright at all. The world I entered had been reduced to ruins and General Zod ruled over all."

"You….you can't be serious!" Whitney yelled.

"It was only thanks to my connection with the Speed Force I didn't get wiped out along with the rest," Thawne said. "Rest assure, Miss West, I have no desire to see this world, whether it be past, present, or future, be overrun by Zod and his army. He will obliterate everything. The Justice League cannot stop him and the people of Earth are ill-equipped to stop the invasion."

Whitney rushed over to get Thawne while he was monologuing. Thawne casually blocked her arm, hoisted up Whitney, and threw her off to the side. He treated her like a discarded gum wrapper.

"Whitney, you didn't think you could be faster than me, did you?" The Reverse-Flash asked. "Iris isn't even faster than me, and you aren't faster than her. It's simple math, something even a less then super powered brain could be able to…..

Whitney tried again and Eobard blocked every one of her punches and knocked her back again.

"A fool is one who redoubles a failing effort," Thawne said, almost sounding bored. "And I have the weapon which will stop Zod's invasion before it starts, behold."

Thawne's had vibrated and caused a silver orb to rise from the ground. Something ran in it back and forth at the speed of light. Whitney realized after moments of intense watching, her missing aunt ran back and forth inside.

"Stop it, you're going to kill her!" Whitney yelled.

"No, I won't kill her, because as much as it pains me to admit it, her living is a necessity to ensure my future," Thawne said after pausing. "She will pay in other ways for the crimes against the Thawne bloodline. But, I'm giving her a chance to help me stop a tyrant from taking over the world."

Whitney scoffed at Thawne's words. She couldn't attack Thawne now, not without hurting Iris. The energy field created through this silver orb protected Thawne.

"It's a paradox," Thawne said. "Hurt the one you love to stop the one you hate. But…I grow tired of dealing with a second-string Flash. Iris might be necessary, unfortunately, to my future, but you're considered to be nothing other than a side kick and a pale imitation of the original."

"You're trying to get under my skin and it won't work!" Whitney yelled.

"The future doesn't lie," Thawne said. "I wouldn't take it too personally, Whitney. The sequel rarely lives up to the promise of the original. And if Iris could never stop me, you don't have a hope."

Thawne waved his hand and several armored figures appeared through a vortex. One of them rushed forward and nailed Whitney in between blinks.

"My elite guard," Thawne said. "The rogues make an amusing afternoon of entertainment, but they didn't quite get the job done, did they? And now, it's time for Whitney West to perish."

Whitney geared herself up for a battle against the Reverse-Flash's elite guard. This was going to suck.

 **To Be Continued on May 24** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _The plot thickens, and thickens._

 _I've been wanting to do a Flash centric arc for a while. And here it is. And boy are things pretty messed up. But then again, time travel is involved so there's going to be headaches.  
_

 _Until Monday._


	71. Chapter 71

_New Chapter of the Week Poll Up at the Usual Location.  
_

 **Chapter Seventy-One: Inverse Part One.**

* * *

Kara picked up more speed when she flew towards Central City. The news several of the Flash's rogues broke out of Iron Heights caused her great distress. She knew Whitney could handle it for the most part. There was another problem though and one Kara needed to deal with before it became a much bigger problem.

A source of strange energy manifested over the top of Central City. Kara feared this would be another situation like the one in Metropolis with the Phantom Zone splitting open on its own accord. Kara picked up an immense amount of speed and kept flying in the direction of the chaos. Her heart started to pound more and more.

"So, Barbara, what can you tell me?" Kara asked.

"I can tell you, it looks pretty inconclusive," Barbara said, sighing at her own lack of information as much as Kara did. "I know, I realize it, and I realize I can't help you right now. I'm trying to dig up whatever I can. Why don't you….."

"You know what, I'm flying in."

Any protest Barbara might have had was cut off due to the energy in the air. Kara knew now she flew in blinded. Almost literally due to the amount of dust kicked in the air. Kara pushed herself back, with a choking amount of dust almost coming through her. The Girl of Steel flicked her hand off to one side and maneuvered the dust away from her.

A blur and a whirl brought Kara's attention further towards the scene of the crime. Some kind of strange energy slowed down Kara's flight patterns to significantly less than a speeding bullet. She didn't really know what was happening here. All she knew was it was not good for her.

"Okay, push yourself a little bit more," Kara said, frowning when she broke through and landed on the ground.

Something super-fast flew her way. Kara dodged out of the way and the super-fast figure smashed into a dumpster hard. The impact burned a hole through the dumpster and caused it to start smoking. Kara was pretty sure this particular fact was not good at all. The Girl of Steel took a quarter of the step to the side and gasped when she saw something trying to crawl out of the dumpster.

"Whitney?" Kara asked.

"Yes, it's me, it's my name," Whitney said, looking groggy. "And we better move."

Kara did not need to ask why they needed to move because the answer flew directly at their heads with all of the subtle force of a super powered freight train. The blurred hand almost nailed Kara straight on. Kara dodged a second attack and managed to get in a couple of direct hits on him.

Whitney watched when Kara's super fast hands dismantled the armor of the elite guard which attacked them. Kara grabbed him by the head and caused sparks to fly.

"Are these things robots?" Kara asked.

"Yeah," Whitney said.

"Good."

Kara ripped the head of one of the minions, ignoring the shower of sparks which covered her. The crushed minion flew backwards and landed in a heap directly at Kara's feet.

"You are so intense sometimes it's pretty scary," Whitney said, getting bum rushed by one of the minions. "Hey, it's not fair, I had my back turned, this is so not fair!"

Kara avoided the attack from one of the minions and blitzed him with a super powered force. The Girl of Steel clipped the minion with a punch which moved at an insane amount of speed. Another roundhouse punch nailed the creature and almost took its head completely off with a huge punch.

"And you know what else is not fair," Whitney said, hitting one of them off to the side. Sure Kara finished it off with a flip kick, but progress was progress and Whitney wasn't going to cry over spilled milk. "The fact you keep taking these things out before I can take a breath. How are you still so much faster than me?"

"We're really going to go over this right now," Kara said, smashing another one of the robotic minions into a pulp. "Could you tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Right, right, right, try to keep up!"

Kara rolled her eyes at the really bad joke from Whitney while she kept smashing robotic minions like it was her job. And in some ways, it was her job. Kara used her super breath to knock two of them back and essentially reversed their super speed so they struck into the wall at the speed of light.

"Eobard Thawne, you know the Reverse-Flash?" Whitney asked, and Kara answered with a brisk nod to show her what she did know. "Right, he came from the future, with a message of doom and gloom. He said the Justice League would fail against Zod, and the Earth would be overrun by phantoms from the Phantom Zone. Aren't some of the worst fugitives in the universe there…never mind, I just remembered, of course they are."

Despite Whitney's motor-mouth tendencies, Kara managed to keep up with her words.

"And Eobard is using Iris….."

"Iris is alive?" Kara asked, cutting off Whitney. Whitney whirled around and nodded in response. "I thought she disappeared into the Speed Force to protect the world from the Great Crisis….well one of the Great Crises anyway?"

Whitney's super-fast fists of fury slammed into the robotic minions and caused them to be crushed.

"She's alive, and Thawne is using her as a power source."

* * *

Iris West refused to admit she had been broken, especially by the likes of Thawne. No matter how much sweat rolled down her face, no matter how much her flesh burned, no matter how much she felt something was going to rip her apart, Iris kept running and running and running and running.

"Feel the burn, Flash," the Reverse-Flash said. "Keep running, keep running like your life, and the lives of everyone in Central City depend on it. And it does."

Iris heard the man's manic explanations about what was at stake. Her ranted more than enough times where the process had been burned inside Iris's head. The most intense workout she ever experienced continued when she ran around and around, resembling a hamster on a wheel more than a human. Sparks continued to fly in every single direction when she continued to run.

"Run, Iris, Run," The Reverse-Flash said, stroking underneath his chin. "It's times like this where I wish I had a goatee…even though those went out of style centuries ago."

Iris's mask stuck to her face the moment she kept pumping her legs. The woman's heart raced even more when she moved the orb and caused frictions.

"What's the end this time, Thawne?" The Flash asked, almost slipping. She re-doubled her efforts to circle around in the orb. "Another convoluted plan to make my life a living hell?"

"Believe it or not, Flash, this time it isn't," Thawne said. "As much as I despise you and everything you stand for, it's not all about you. It's not all about me this time. It's about preserving future generations."

Iris continued to run on this glorified hamster wheel getting a bit more tired with each rotation. She only pushed herself.

"Let me ask you something, hero?" Thawne asked. "Would it be good form for you allow the Phantom Zone to collide with Earth? I'm sure Superwoman or Supergirl must have told you the awful people who reside there. They make me look like a boy scout."

Iris thought there were few people out there who would be more twisted than Thawne. She conceded if such a creature existed, they would take up residence inside the Phantom Zone. She continued to pump her legs and move even faster.

"You don't want the Phantom Zone to collide with this world," Thawne said. "Trust me, I know the future, and I know how much it…what is a proper 21st century terminology to use with what the future is like?"

The Reverse-Flash cupped his chin and stroked his non-existence goatee.

"Sucked, sucked is the word I'm looking for," Thawne said. "As crass of a term it is, it's entirely accurate. The future is not so bright we can wear shades, the future quite frankly sucks."

Iris continued to run and her mind ran along with her. She reflected on every single last moment of what happened. How the Flash saved the Earth. How she had bounced all across the time stream? How she ended up as Thawne's prisoner and essentially had been treated as some glorified rodent in a cage, running around in circles for no rhyme, no reason, and more importantly no purpose.

The only purpose she thought of was saving all of humanity. Something the Flash was the best in the world at what she did. Iris tried to look at the wheel. There had to be somewhere to get out of this preputual cycle of running.

"You know, you made those powers your own, despite them not being intended for you," Thawne said. "Barry Allen was supposed be the Flash….oh, I'm sorry…did I hurt your feelings bringing up the one person you couldn't be fast enough to save?"

Iris gritted her teeth. She could not under any circumstances let Eobard Thawne get to her. It would be game over if she allowed this monster to bury himself inside her head and wreck her mind. Iris just pushed herself a little bit further and kept running around in cycles. The blinking counter on the orb continued to fire up.

"Keep running, Flash," Reverse-Flash said. "As I was saying, Barry was supposed to get those powers. He had the entire motivation thing down pact as well. I killed his mother, framed his father for her death. And it was supposed to be perfect. If I'm the greatest villain in history, who better than the world's greatest hero to oppose me?

Sparks flew as Iris ran around. She figured the sound barrier would shatter if she ran much faster.

' _Good, if it breaks, I won't have to hear Thawne continue to yammer on about whatever,'_ Iris thought, pushing herself past her limits to new ones. The heart rate increased in the tank.

"You've about done it Flash, just a little bit faster," Eobard said, looking into a hole which slowly manifested above Earth. "Yes, yes, it's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Your….vision…of…..beauty…is…cracked!"

Thawne barely paid attention to the Flash's words. Soon, he could run through the time stream and fix all of the breaches. There would be a couple of alterations, one of them being a new overlord to the planet. And the Reverse-Flash couldn't think of anyone else better than the greatest enemy of the world's greatest hero.

The Reverse-Flash sat back to enjoy his favorite show, the destruction of the Flash. Thanks to his ability to travel through time, Eobard could watch her disappear again and again and again.

* * *

Kara put down one of the latest of Thawne's elite guard. She looked over the sparking robot head and allowed a momentary scoff to pass through her mouth.

"You really think it's the end, do you?" Whitney asked.

"Seems like the end to me," Kara said, touching her hands to her hips. "And my backup is finally here."

Huntress and Wonder Woman showed up behind them. Diana prepared herself for a fight and appeared to be a little bit disappointed when she didn't get one.

"I wouldn't be too sad, Diana, there's more trouble coming," Kara said, and the Amazon Princess smiled in response. She prepared for battle, sword at the ready and everything.

"I'd say there's more trouble, given what that idiot Thawne is trying to do."

The four members of the Justice League turned around. Kara came face to face with Ali Dru-Zod, Alexandra Evans, Ultrawoman, whatever they wanted to call her this week.

"You always turn up in the middle of trouble," Kara said.

"Yes, and trouble has been happening a lot lately," Alia said, without missing a beat. "Thawne….is messing with matters he doesn't quite understand."

"No, really?" Whitney asked. "A super villain is messing with something they can't understand. I'm shocked such a thing would happen. It's kind of absurd, isn't it?"

Alia responded with one of those long looks which she was famous for. Whitney swallowed with a lump in her throat. Helena cleared her throat and attempted to bring the conversation back to its intended purpose.

"What's the damage?" Helena asked.

"He thinks he's attempting to seal the Phantom Zone barrier," Alia said. "He has this bright idea where he can build up enough kinetic energy where he can push on through."

"So, Thawne's theory is wrong," Whitney said. "And he's supposed be a genius."

"I got the impression he was quite mad as well," Kara said, which Whitney shrugged in response. "You know, because the madness cancels out the genius part. And this how we get stuck with people like Luthor."

"Maybe," Whitney conceded drawing in a breath and letting it out after a couple of moments. "Just maybe."

Alia cleared her throat and as always, demanded full and undivided attention upon her. She tapped a button on the side of her wrist and brought up a three dimensional holographic image.

"This is the Phantom Zone and Earth overlay as of two hours ago," Alia said. "It's a problem, but not a completely pressing one. And this….."

Alia pressed another button and revealed a second overlay for the planet. This overlay flashed with more spots of red over the top of it.

"And this is Earth as of right now….you can see how the Phantom Zone is about to collide with Earth….and Thawne is accelerating the process, speeding it up by about six months."

"And….." Whitney said, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Exactly how long do we have at this current rate before the Phantom Zone and Earth head on a collision course with each other."

"According to my calculations," Alia said, calculating and doubling up on it. "We have exactly one hour at Thawne's current rate."

Diana and Kara gasped "Hera" and "Rao" at the same time. The two girls locked eyes with each other and frowned. Neither of them could really say what was going on right now. Other than the fact neither of them really liked it all too much.

"Yes, accurate," Alia said. "I think we can safely say Thawne's lost all leave of his senses after he's lost everything in the future."

Whitney answered with one of the most stoic nods possible. She knew all about Thawne and she knew what he was capable of. This plan was equal parts mad and desperate. How someone who could be a genius would think further opening rifts between Earth and the Phantom Zone?

"He intends to run through them," Whitney said, after pausing. "He thinks he can be fast enough to run through all of the rifts and close them all at the same time."

"Not even the Reverse-Flash is fast enough to pull off this trick," Kara said. "I'm not even fast enough to pull of this trick."

Kara decided to answer the question which had been bothering her for a long time. Her eyes locked onto Alia for a couple of moments and the two of them stared each other down.

"I know, we're working together again," Alia said. "I'm not the hero like you are, in the way you are, but….I've lost too many worlds to allow another one to go the same way."

"So, you have a plan?" Kara asked.

"Yes, and….I think this will work," Alia said. "Karen is flying it in right now….and…you and Whitney are going to need to work together to get it running."

The first step, as Alia saw it, was to break down the barriers protecting Thawne from the outside world and protecting him from retribution. When the group did this, they would be well on their way to achieving something great. At least this was what Alia assumed in the back of her mind.

* * *

Iris only ran because she had to. She didn't want to run. The aches and pains through her body did not heal fast enough. She outran herself and saw her own future self pass her on one side, at the same time she zipped past her own past self.

The paradoxical nature of time travel could give Iris one of the bigger headaches in the world. Bigger than the headache pounding through her head because of Thawne's words. Iris picked up the pace and continued to run around and around.

Iris could not see anything in front of her. The world slowed down around her. Even the words of the Reverse-Flash kept coming because Iris kept running.

' _At least something good has come of this,'_ Iris thought, seeing everything. More images of herself ran at different speeds. She most certainly hit a very different speed than ever before. _'Never thought I would be home again, and if I did….I didn't think it would be anything like this.'_

Iris kicked up an entirely new pace. Just a little bit further and she would be around again. She cycled and a whistling sound could have been heard.

"IRIS, STOP RUNNING!'

The noise came from one of the figures in the tube. Iris wanted to stop running. She feared what would happen if she stopped running. While she wasn't the science major Whitney was, Iris thought the consequences would be extremely grave.

"I can't, I must….I can't stop running."

"You need to…there's a way out of this cycle, you just need to focus….slow down a little bit at least."

Iris sped up the chase around the edge of the orb. The energy began to flicker around her when she could see the images out of the corner of her eye.

"Iris, you want to be a hero, you want to save the world, just do it."

She frowned. Something flickered out of the corner her eye. It passed her quickly. Another version of her ran in a different direction, and a third version of her ran…was she running backwards?

"Iris!" another voice yelled.

Iris had a feeling she existed in past, present, and future at the same time. The simultaneous existence throbbed the back of her head. The speeder stuck her foot on the ground. The forward momentum prevented her from slowing down completely.

Eobard sat back on the throne. The only thing he could see in the orb was an ever running blur. The Flash would serve a purpose and her speed force would allow him to step through time and accomplish greatness which he could only scarcely dream of.

"Good job, Iris, you're almost there," Eobard said. "I know you can't hear me."

His Elite Guard had not reported back with the head of the baby Flash. Under normal circumstances, this would worry him. The orb created a big enough force field which allowed Eobard to sit back, relax, and enjoy the end.

Hero wasn't a term which described Eobard rather well. He could be capable of being selfless when it served him.

"A few more minutes," Eobard said. "The world might not remember what you've done. I will always cherish these moments we spent together, even though you will never be Barry. You will never be the Flash I expected."

* * *

Karen set out a device which practically mirrored the orb Iris currently ran in. There were a few alterations made to the orb.

"And you just had one of these lying around?" Whitney asked.

"It was because of an encounter with a time lord….or to be more accurate, a companion of one," Alia said, without missing a beat. "Look at it, it's magnificent….and it should be able to break down the barrier and allow Iris to escape her curse."

"Won't it cause the Phantom Zone to collapse on Earth anyway?" Whitney asked.

"No," Alia said, placing a hand gently on the shoulder of the speedster. "Thawne made a huge misstep of his calculations…and we're running short on time."

"How short are we talking about?" Whitney asked.

"Fifteen minutes," Alia said.

Whitney breathed in and out extremely quickly. Alia gripped her hand on Whitney's shoulder and tried to calm her down. She locked eyes onto Kara, who remained stoic and calm.

"I wouldn't ask you to do this, if I didn't think you were not capable of it," Alia said. "We're running out of time…actually we're almost out of time."

"So, what do you want me to do?" Whitney asked. "Do you want me to run around in circles really fast? I'm not fast enough."

"If we had more time, I would have you do just that," Alia said. "I need to have you and Kara work together to build up enough kinetic energy to cancel out Thawne's orb and free Iris."

"And what are you saying?"

"I'm saying you and Kara need to enter the orb and have sex with each other," Alia said, in the most blunt and brazen way possible.

Whitney's mouth opened up in shock. She resembled a fish out of water more than her confident speedster self now. The prospect of sex with someone made her a bit nervous, because of her powers. Especially someone like Kara, who was a pinnacle of beauty and strength, and could easily break Whitney if she so chose so.

"You want me to have sex…with Kara," Whitney said, trying to speak through her dry mouth. "In the orb, in front of everyone…right…here…right now….you want me to….."

Kara pounced on Whitney and shoved her through the opening of the orb. Whitney's further attempts to protest had been silenced by a passionate kiss on the part of Kara. Kara's tongue worked into Whitney's mouth and parted her lips.

The next thing Whitney knew, Kara removed Whitney's bottoms and Kara did the same to her skirt and panties.

"Try and keep up, West."

* * *

Whitney slumped against the edge of the bed, dripping with sweat and other bodily fluids. The current speedster started to breath heavily.

"Oh, please tell me this worked," Whitney said, mouth corking into a smile. "Or all of that hot and passionate sex would have been for nothing."

"Really, Whitney?" Kara asked, putting her hands on her hips and staring her down.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it this way," Whitney said with an apologetic smile on her face. "So, tell me, did it work?"

Alia's eyes fixated on the scanner. The energy on the orb powered it up and shot a beam of light into the air. The beam caught the barrier and started to weaken it up.

"Well, I only have two things to say," Alia said. "What I could see was pretty hot."

Kara gave Alia one of those death glares which normally meant a beating followed. Alia, having been punched by Kara in the past, knew when to cut back.

"And it's a success, in a matter of minutes, we'll be able to get through."

Alia closed her eyes and could see a flash of Iris. Actually there were several versions of her. The orb caused a bit of a time paradox. Alia cleared her throat for a moment.

"Iris, you need to stop running!" Alia yelled. "IRIS STOP RUNNING!"

Whitney quickly put back her uniform, and Kara did the same with hers. They joined Huntress, Wonder Woman, and Power Girl. The charged energy from the orb kept heating up until the moment where they go.

"Go, now!" Whitney yelled, running forward. Kara pretty much outran her when she regained her bearings.

The rest of the Justice League followed. It was time to for them to put a stop to this.

More of those speed warriors popped up in front of them to block their path.

"Do you really think it would be this easy?" The Reverse-Flash asked, practically taunting his enemies.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on May 27** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _Well that's one way to build up enough energy._

 _With the world breaking apart, it's obvious our heroes are about ready to bite off a bit more than they can chew._

 _Until Friday._


	72. Chapter 72

**Chapter Seventy-Two: Inverse Part Two.**

* * *

The portal opened up wide from the kinetic energy Whitney and Kara created through their exploits. Alia flew through first, followed by Diana, giving Helena a bit of a boost to put her through the portal, along with Karen. Kara came in through next and Whitney rushed through the portal last. The story of her life really.

Whitney looked up, cringing for a second when she came face to face with some of Thawne's most dangerous creations. His time warriors showed up to fight them. The fastest girl alive stepped back, heart beating faster than her feet ran.

"Great, round two with these guys," Kara said. "No one said it's going to be easy."

Diana rushed forward. One of the speed demons rushed towards her with an arm extended. The Amazon Princess avoided the punch. He returned fire with a second punch. Diana gripped the speed demon around the waist in a bearhug and hurled him over her head. Another one of the speed demons rushed her. Diana blocked the fist on the backswing and grabbed him around the head. The fierce warrior woman used the speed against the enemy.

Helena smiled when one of the creatures rushed against her. She flipped out of the way at the last second. The creature turned around into an oil slick on the ground. The oil slick skidded the creature straight into two more of the time demon creatures. A loud clonk showed the success of this actions.

One of the creatures charged Kara. Kara jumped into the air and avoided him at the last minute. Her super breath hit an intense level and rocked the creature. The creature doubled over from Kara hitting him. Another tried to run on the air to attack her. The constant forward movement of the legs created the illusion of flight. Kara prepared to bring him back down to Earth with a huge jab. The Girl of Steel's fist cracked on the skull and caused his rapid fire feet to kick his enemy in the face.

"It just goes to show you up in the sky, you can't stop Supergirl."

Whitney closed her eyes and started to run faster. These demons were on her. Whitney smiled, maybe she didn't need to run faster in this case. She only needed to run smarter. Whitney picked up the pace as much as she could before slowing down. The speed demons rushed past them and one of them ran into Karen. She hook the demon around the head with her arm, the leg with her ankle, and slammed it down onto the ground with a searing voice.

The time band ripped off of the creature's arm and it started to fade into non-existence. Karen began to get the hint. The buxom blonde raised her arms into the air and hoisted up the time demon by the throat. The time demon struggled against Karen's grip. Karen hurled him down to the ground with a resounding smack.

"Just have to get these bands off, and they go away," Karen said.

Kara smiled, zipping around three of them. Thawne boasted of an infinite supply of these things. Once you discovered the trick to them, they weren't too hard at all. Kara took them all up into a cyclone. A glowing orb surrounded all three of them and sucked them back into their own time stream.

The Girl of Steel couldn't pat herself on the back for too long. A large clawed hand tried to stab at her. Kara jumped back. Heat vision connected with the hand.

Kara turned to Whitney. "It's not one of Thawne's is it?"

"Unless he changed up his game plan, no," Whitney said.

Whitney studied the creature which tried to rip through.

"Does he realize what he's doing?" Alia asked. "We're running out of time….someone has to get up there."

Alia closed her eyes and went deep into thought.

' _Maybe I should try and break through to Iris again. I'm not sure how much good this is going to do. If she only stops running, we can….the warps are getting bigger. It's like the one over Metropolis all over again, only at super sonic speed. I can't even see it.'_

"Head's up!"

One of the demons almost rushed Alia. Alia turned around to react. Kara flew over the top of her shoulder and plowed a fist into the chest of the demon. The demon doubled over from the impact, blood oozing from the creature's mouth.

"You were the last person on Earth who I would ever expect to lose focus during the battle," Kara said, placing a hand on Alia's shoulder. "I know, it's okay, but we're….."

"Please don't tell me everything is going to be okay," Alia said. "Let's not delude ourselves."

The only way things were going to be okay was if they broke through.

"You know, you guys may be faster," Whitney said as she zipped through Thawne's minions. "Faster on your feet, maybe a bit faster to have bad breath in the morning. The one thing you are you, is you're certainly not any smarter. Let's make this perfectly clear."

Whitney bounced from one speed demon to the next. They recognized the Flash and tried to rip her apart. Whitney's skills proved to be as mad as her smarts. She made up for the lack of speed by timing the shots wisely. Eight speed bands were on the ground. Seven dismembered and Whitney pulled one of them open.

"Cover my back, I have an idea."

Kara was the first one behind her. The remaining speed demons charged them. Kara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A wintery gust appeared which caused even the speed demon's bones to slow down.

Whitney studied and worked with the future technology. Her heart raced. Time ran out.

"Hang on, Iris, I won't let you go this time," Whitney said, pressing a button.

The speed demon's bands shorted out. The only thing keeping them on the time stream failed to keep them on the time stream. The blood curdling screams followed when each and every one of them disappeared.

* * *

Iris West prided herself on determination and self-control. Both of those things had been brought to the test in this current state. She never could stop running. The super speed continued to move around.

' _Okay, I can't stop running,'_ Iris said. _'But, can I change the direction of where I'm running?'_

Iris thought it was worth a shot. Now there weren't many other options. Iris misdirected herself and started to move her legs in the opposite direction. The Flash succeeded in running backwards on this particular treadmill.

The Reverse-Flash watched his grand vision unfold. The final step of the process was almost complete. A smile crossed the face of this malicious individual, pleased at the handiwork he had before him.

This particular smile faded in an instance when he could see the Flash's legs begin to pump in the opposite direction. She was running backwards. How could she….it didn't really matter at this point. The Reverse-Flash's burning gaze looked at her.

"Stop, stop, STOP AT ONCE!" The Reverse-Flash yelled. "I told you had to….."

The sound barrier shattered. Four or five cosmic blurs shot out. All, other than one of those blurs vanished. The Flash averted her momentum and punched the Reverse-Flash in the face to knock him backwards off of his thrown.

The Flash collapsed down to both knees, the sensation of getting sick threatening to fist her body. Iris may have freed herself from captivity. She wasn't completely out of the woods yet. A whirling sound echoed in the back of her mind, perilously close.

"Flash, see what you've done!" Reverse-Flash yelled. "An entire timeline utterly destroyed because of you!"

Thawne hoisted the Flash off of the ground and punted her down against the wall.

"No, not because of me…because of you!"

Iris's strength had been siphoned to power the orb. She still had enough of it left within her to try and put a hurting on the Reverse-Flash. Only, after the initial shock, the Reverse-Flash dodged out of the way of the punch. Iris's fist connected with the side of the wall and caused a great deal of pain.

"You know, you've improved," Reverse-Flash said, lifting Iris up by the scruff of her neck and hurling her across the room. "You might not be the Flash I came back in time to kill, but, we have a connection now, don't we?"

Thawne started to hammer Iris in the face with a rapid fire punches. A rate of a hundred stinging jabs for minute started to hit her. Her mask tore off from the friction to reveal a face which was bruised and battered. Iris resembled a victim of a car crash more than someone else.

"Just think," Thawne said, slamming his fist into Iris's stomach and doubling her over. "I can take you apart piece….by piece….by piece…by piece."

Thawne whipped Iris into the wall and hit her with more punches to her back.

"If you just kept running, none of this would have happened and….."

A loud crack resounded and it wasn't Thawne hitting Irish again. Whitney grabbed Thawne and pulled him away from her aunt. Thawne looked amused and made his way behind her.

"You know, you're amusing," Thawne said, grabbing Whitney around the back of her neck and forcing her face first onto the ground. "You can't even outrace your aunt, and she can't outrace me. You keep trying, and failing to fight me. You make me sick."

Thawne curb stomped Whitney's face into the ground at a rapid fire speed. Whitney rolled over, groaning.

"Oh, I know someone faster than you," Whitney said, a bloody smile appearing on her face.

"Somehow I doubt that," Thawne said, pulling Whitney up and hurling her down to the ground. "Right there, where you belong like the rest of the trash and….."

A blur nailed Thawne in the face as hard as she could. The Reverse-Flash tried to get to his feet and attack her. Kara dodged out of the way of his attack.

"First of all, Eobard is a stupid name, and I've been wanting to tell you that for years," Kara said, avoiding each and every one of his punches. "And, you're not faster than me."

Kara grabbed the Reverse-Flash by the scruff of them neck and showed her throwing arm was good. The Reverse-Flash hurled through a vortex and disappeared.

"Okay, where did that send him?" Whitney asked, moving over towards the silver orb which still glowed.

"Anywhere from ten minutes into the future to ten thousand years into the future," Alia said, dropping down beside the orb. She took a moment to study it. "We're all going to have to super charge the orb at the same time and blow it up."

Whitney, Alia, and Kara worked in tandem. They vibrated their arms at the same time and created a charge with super charged the orb.

The machine shorted out and shut down before any further damage could have been done. Alia feared the damage had already been done and they were extremely screwed for lack of a better term.

* * *

Reverse-Flash flew out of the other side of the vortex about ten minutes from where he last left. The speedster rolled over, glowing energy raising from his hands. His entire skin burned in an agonizing fashion. The Reverse-Flash attempted to push himself back up. The healing factor kicked in big time. Not fast enough for him to be pleased, but it still kicked in big time.

"No, it can't be!" The Reverse-Flash yelled at the top of his lungs when the energy passed over his body. "It can't be…it shouldn't be…and it won't…it won't!"

The Reverse-Flash howled in thinly veiled misery when he attempted to pull himself to his feet. The energy coursing through his body stabbed through his hands.

"She destroyed it, they destroyed it!" The Reverse-Flash managed. Being sent through the speed force at such a rate caused his eyes to burn. "They will pay."

The Reverse-Flash knew there was a chance should he get sent back into the future, he wasn't coming back. The man's heart started to speed up.

"The only thing worthwhile is if I'm going back, I'm going to take the Flash with me!" Reverse-Flash yelled. "I will drive her into the ground for ruining my perfect plan and….."

A scarlet blur shot out and nailed the Reverse-Flash with a clothesline. The Reverse-Flash flipped over and landed on his face. The inverse of the Flash pulled himself to a standing position to stare down at the Fastest Woman Alive.

"Are you quite done being melodramatic, yet?" The Flash asked, watching as the Reverse-Flash rolled over and pulled himself up.

"I'm done talking," The Reverse-Flash said, and before the Flash could blink, a punch nailed her in the abdomen. "Fast enough to get the drop on me once. The difference between you and me is you can't finish the job."

"Maybe not," The Flash said as she rolled over. "You can't either though. You define yourself by me, Thawne. Showing up in multiple time periods to stalk the Flash. To obsess over him, or her, or whoever is under the mask. You define yourself by the Flash. And without the Flash, there is no purpose."

"I have nothing to return to!" The Reverse-Flash yelled, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her back. "I never thought I'd hate you as much as I do now!"

Flash struggled against Thawne's grip. He put the pressure on her throat and squeezed every last breath out of her. She closed her eyes, trying to block out and avoid the agonizing grip.

"Do you see this, Flash?" The Reverse-Flash asked. "Do you see the world ending around you? Do you see how much it's all your fault?"

The Reverse-Flash may have been faster than her. Iris never disputed this, no matter how much she tried to get faster than him. This obsession caused her to be more twisted than the Flash. At least until she brought herself back to Earth.

"No, not my fault," Iris said, turning her arm and vibrating it at super speed, nailing Thawne in the shoulder. The bone cracked underneath her super powered fist. "YOURS!"

Thawne skidded back. A battle between the Reverse-Flash and Flash was about to take place. Sparks of light appeared.

Something came from behind Thawne at super speed and snapped an inhibitor collar around his neck. This slowed him down to the speed of a snail with a cinder block strapped to his back and put him into a perfect position for the Flash to put him down to the count.

"Good thinking, Kara," Iris said, before looking at the figure. "Wait, you're not….."

The Flash looked up and saw Superwoman hovering above her, in the traditional red and blue uniform. The blue top with the red shield with a yellow "S" on it and the hip hugging red pants, along with a cape which fluttered down to the ground.

Kara and Alia stepped out, mouths wide open. They had just been trying to seal one of the many breaches created by Thawne's attempts to meddle.

"The warp is getting better," Flash said. "Hopefully you've gotten a little faster than since the time we've raced."

"Oh, really?" Superwoman asked, business like. The happy reunion could wait until later. "Let me show you then."

Superwoman flew around the edge of the Vortex while the Flash ran. The two blurs circled each other and caused an energy glow to occur.

The shell shocked civilians looked up, along with Kara, Alia, and the rest of the Justice League, to see the Flash and Superwoman return and more importantly, return in style.

* * *

Two of the League's members retuning back to life, well so to speak, mandated the entire League meeting together. Iris looked around with a smile on her face. She couldn't really state enough how awesome it was to be back home.

"So, what was it like being trapped in time?" Whitney asked. She wasn't the only one who wanted to know.

"Enough to hope you never have the misfortunate to do so," Iris said. "So, I understand you've been trying to be the Flash when I was gone."

"Someone has to," Whitney said. "The rogues weren't going to sleep just because you were out of town…so does that mean I'm back to being your sidekick right now?"

"No, Whitney, it doesn't," Iris said. "And you were never my sidekick, you were my equal. Granted, you could be a bit impulsive at times, but it runs in the family. So, really, I don't hold it against you, too much."

Whitney smiled and Iris placed her arm around her. The two Flashes no doubt had a lot of catching up to do.

"So? "Claire asked Chloe, who smiled when she was back. "How was my funeral?"

"It was actually pretty amazing," Chloe said. "Beautiful even…touching…and yet, a lot of us knew in the back of our mind you would be back. At least Helena did, and Kara and Diana figured as much, and….well I've seen you almost die more than enough times to know things aren't what they seem."

Claire smiled, glad to see someone had faith in her, well to an extent. There was one piece of business and looking at Chloe, they both knew what it was.

"So, you're back as Superwoman?" Helena asked, and Claire turned towards her to smile. "Good, the dark and broody vigilante of the night didn't suit you too well."

"Well, I didn't mean to step on your toes," Claire said, smiling when she looked at her old friend. "And did you ever think about upgrading….."

"I've thought about it," Helena said, turning around to move over to go around the party.

"And always direct," Chloe said. "I've forgotten how uncomfortable and direct she can get…but I suppose it's worth it. You don't get any BS with her."

Claire smiled when she stared Chloe in the eyes.

"The lack of BS is always refreshing with her," Claire said. "So, how have you been doing?"

"Oh, you know, I've been holding up," Chloe said.

Kara moved her way over to join the conversation. This prevented Chloe from bringing up the very obvious elephant in the room for a second time.

"You're back, and it's great," Kara said, with a smile on her face.

"Yes, it really is great to be back," Claire said. "And I have you to thank, and Alia as well."

There was a few seconds where Kara's face looked like she struggled not to spit out something. Claire, sensing the warning signs, placed her arm around her cousin's shoulders and pulled her in.

"Hey, I know you and Alia….may not see eye to eye after what happened," Claire said. "And I'll be the first to admit, her methods aren't the most conventional of everything."

Kara responded with one of the more obvious and extremely un-lady like snorts a person could muster. Claire smiled; something told her she deserved this snort and so much more.

"You didn't punch her over this, or anything, did you?" Claire asked. Kara opened her mouth to protest. "Because, I know how you can get when someone puts me in danger."

Claire shuddered to think what could have happened if Lex didn't end up blowing himself up after depowering Claire. There wouldn't have been enough of him to bury. Granted, there still wasn't enough of him left to bury after the explosion.

"I didn't punch Alia, at least not for that," Kara said. Claire's look of confusion grew, and Kara thought it was best to elaborate. "I just hate-fucked her."

The blunt nature of Kara's statement resulted in Claire doing her best expression of a fish out of water. Artemis and Thea, who walked by, looked about ready to break into a fit of laughter.

"Oh, Superwoman speechless, that would get a good price for the Daily Planet front page," Artemis said, with Thea about ready to bust a gut.

"Speaking of Daily Planet, where is Lois?" Claire asked. She figured Lois would be the first around the moment Claire returned. If nothing else to give her a little bit of grief. "I would think she would be the first one to be around."

"Lois is extremely busy," Chloe said.

Claire took this statement as much as she could. The Woman of Steel looked at Chloe.

"Busy enough to miss me coming back to life?" Claire asked. "She's mad at me, isn't she?"

"I'm not sure if she's mad at you…well okay, she's mad at you," Chloe said, taking a moment. "And when you were trying to get your head back on, you blew it. Your angst hit an entirely new and very uncomfortable level."

Claire wasn't about to deny this. She cringed at the thought of the trouble she caused.

"I let her go….and I should have figured she wasn't going to come back," Claire said. "And now she's avoiding me….like she always does."

"Maybe you should go and force the issue," Chloe said.

Claire frowned. The last thing she wanted to do was have some kind of confrontation with Lois the second she returned to life.

"She's with Kara now," Claire said.

"Well, they are fuck-buddies, if you want to the technical," Chloe said, and the look on Claire's face was extremely priceless. Chloe almost wanted to pinch her on the cheeks. "Seriously though, you've been through all you've been through, and any talk about sex gives you a really bad case of the vapors."

"It's just…do you really have to be so blunt about it?" Claire asked.

"No, but the look on your face is amusing," Chloe said, smiling. "And you need to figure out where you stand with Kara."

"I….Kara and Lois have the right to sleep together if they want to, they are adults," Claire said.

"This isn't what I mean, Claire," Chloe said. "And you know what I mean…..Kara was a wreck when you were killed….and you would have been the same day."

"Of course, we're family," Claire said.

Chloe took a moment to sigh. Kara really didn't tell Claire yet.

Kara looked over to the side and watched Claire. She had given her this entire speech and Claire was asleep. It was time to give her the speech while she was awake, and hope for the best.

The Girl of Steel supposed she could ignore it. Now was not the time to sweep problems underneath the rug. Very few people had a second chance and now Kara wanted hers.

"You're going to do it, aren't you?" Barbara asked.

"Yes," Kara said.

"Good luck," Donna said, patting her on the back. "I'm sure she'll understand."

Kara appreciated the support of her two oldest girlfriends. She moved over to talk to Claire, only to be blocked by another party guests.

"Alia," Claire said. "Have you come to ruin my resurrection party?"

Alia's expression turned completely serious. Claire may have been making light of the situation, and she was glad for an attempt at a smile.

"You're seriously here to give bad news, aren't you?" Kara asked, stepping in front of her. There was nothing too accusatory in her voice.

"It's just as we feared with Thawne," Alia said. "His attempts to fix the time stream have caused the dimensional barriers to be ripped apart. I can't stop it from here."

Alia put up the overlay and showed them. The red spots grew even wider. Any attempt to seal them up would be about as productive as sealing up a sock which kept tearing. There was no way around it.

"How long?" Kara asked.

"Thirty-six hours, give or take," Alia said. "Likely we should assume it's on the lower end of the scale."

Kara and Claire locked eyes nervously. Several other people in the room looked just as nervous. There was only one way to fix this and none of them were going to like it.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on May 30** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _The good news is Iris and Claire are back to life. The bad news is things are getting worse. Thus things are getting a bit more tense._

 _Until Monday._


	73. Chapter 73

_New Chapter of the Week Poll.  
_

* * *

 **Chapter Seventy-Three: Eye of the Storm:**

* * *

Alia had no time to mince words, play games, for dramatics, or really any of the old clichés. She thought of one more cliché which served this situation. Time was of the essence. The Daughter of Zod walked down a wilding hallway towards an elevator and pulled open a panel. A light blinked before her. Alia activated the panel and allowed her group entrance into a main corridor towards her secret lab.

Karen raised her eyebrow. Talk about serious when Alia bypassed every single security protocol she had available just to get inside. Karen sensed the anxiety coming from her long-time friend and lover, and could not really blame her to say the very least. Karen would be in her shoes if the situation had been flipped around, reversed, whatever you had to say.

Claire turned towards Kara. Many questions entered Claire's mind, just as they did Kara's. Claire sensed one of the questions coming from Kara's mind and decided to answer it before Kara could say anything.

"No, I haven't been in this part of Alia's inner sanctum."

Kara shrugged and made her way inside behind Alia. She didn't say anything. The worry the Phantom Zone could collide with her adoptive homeworld superseded any distrust or misgivings she developed regarding Alia. They needed to work together, now.

"I know a lot of people have very little reason to trust me," Alia said, bringing her breath in and out with a deep-rooted sigh. "And I've done more than enough to cultivate this mistrust."

Alia paused for a second to direct her full attention to Kara. Kara did her best impression of an ideal Kryptonian, more stoic than anything. Alia pulled up the overlay of the Earth one more time.

Claire blinked when starting at the overlay. Were the spots growing red…did they look even more prominent? Claire had no idea, and would happily defer to Alia on this point.

"You have a plan," Claire said.

Alia blinked and nodded when she realized Alia didn't state this as a question, but rather as a matter of fact. The Kryptonian female turned towards the overlay.

"Indigo, pleased bring up the latest calculations."

Kara found herself less than surprised Alia had commandeered the core programming of Brainiac. Other than the moment of narrowing her eyes, Kara didn't jump to any conclusions, especially the wrong conclusions. She just stared forward with the most stoic and intense look anyone could muster.

"Alia, it is in my opinion, Eobard Thawne's efforts to meddle with the time stream have accelerated the inevitable," Indigo said. "Thawne's attempts to fix the problem made them worse."

"Yes, Indigo, thank you," Alia said, not missing a beat in the process. Alia was well aware of this. "I wish to know how much time do we have."

"It can be charted in days at the most charitable," Indigo said. "If we're being more accurate, the time of collision can only be charted in hours."

Alia's face broke into a scowl. Kara, Karen, and Claire all exchanged nervous glares. None of them were used to seeing Alia lose control and be as helpless as this. Alia's attitude jarred Claire and Karen even more because of the fact they should be more used to Alia's attitude along these lines.

"Alia?" Kara asked.

Alia turned around to look at Kara. The Daughter of Zod locked eyes on her half-sister.

"Are you going to tell me how much I messed up not stopping Thawne sooner?" Alia asked. "I know you're going to tell me….."

"No," Kara said, hand reaching out to gently grip Alia's shoulder. "I don't think you messed up. You couldn't have seen this coming."

"The fact is I did see this coming, months before anyone else did," Alia said. "I should have taken the risk….before it got even more dangerous than it is now. The Phantoms had a taste of freedom."

"This is bad," Karen muttered. Her words caused Alia to turn around and fixate a little glare on her. To her credit, Karen didn't really back down at all. "Well it is, it's extremely bad."

"It's going to get worse if we don't do something," Kara said. "Alia, you mentioned you should have taken the risk. What risk were you referring to?"

"There's a portal," Alia said, drawing in a deep breath and drawing it out. "The portal leads into the Phantom Zone."

Kara found herself less than surprised Alia had a portal to the Phantom Zone. A portal to the Phantom Zone had existed in the Fortress of Solitude as well. The problem with both of these portals is there was a chance something could slip out.

"The risk no longer exists," Claire said, speaking up for the first time. "I'm sure you were worried about what might come out."

"Yes, the possibility is distinct," Indigo said, chiming in to give her two cents. "And I'll be the first to admit I have had my misgivings. We've gone from what might come out of the Phantom Zone portal, to worrying about what will, without a shadow of a doubt, exit the Phantom Zone portal. Therefore, the risk is no longer now."

"The risk is there," Alia said. "And this time, I'm telling all three of you straight up. If you go with me, you may not be able to return. This is a sacrificial mission. And I'm the one who should do it alone."

"No ,you don't," Kara said. "You're not going to do this alone. We'll all work together, and we'll all survive this."

Alia had been surprised from these words coming from her half-sister of all people. The wounds of this particular revelation turned rather fresh.

"We're all in, aren't we?" Kara asked to Karen and Claire.

Both of the other Kryptonians responded with nods. Alia couldn't help and be a little bit satisified about the outcome. She returned to the particular smug demeanor which she wore any other day of the week. Alia turned towards the display screen and took one more look at the overlay between the Phantom Zone and Earth. Fresh determination spread over her face.

"Indigo, power up the portal," Alia said. "Prepare it for all for all four of us to go in."

* * *

Alexa walked down the LuthorCorp hallways. Revelations about what she really was remained fresh in her mind. Alexa turned the corner and kept walking down the hallway. She turned the key into her office and pushed the door open.

Seconds later, Alexa stepped into her office to see Tess sitting behind the desk. The moment Alexa laid eyes on Tess, images started to flash in her mind. An image of Lex stabbing Tess sharpened with clarity and focus. Alexa shook her head in an attempt to keep this particular image out of her mind. Try as she might, she couldn't really succeed all this much.

"Rough night for you?" Tess asked.

"It's been a rough couple of days," Alexa said. "And I have a feeling it's only going to get worse…which is why you're here."

"Can't a sister show up for a visit?" Tess asked. Alexa's gaze caused the slight smirk on Tess's face to evaporate. "I know it's not the Luthor way."

Alexa thought Tess's humor would perk her up in many normal circumstances. These circumstances she experienced were some of the furthest things from normal possible. What was normal anyway in the extremely insane world them lived in?

"I can't speak for our late brother," Alexa said. "I'm glad you survived. Then again, it should be expected. You've always been a survivor Tess."

"Yes, story of my life," Tess said, straightening up and clearing her throat. "You better see the latest weather report though, it's not good, not at all."

Alexa wondered what relevance the weather had to do with anything. The weather report slapped into the palm of her hand, so she was about to find out. Images of the overlay of the planet Earth, with some red spots over the top of it made her frown.

"I might be off base saying this," Alexa said, tracing her finger over the overlay of the planet. "None of this looks ideal, does it?"

"It doesn't look ideal," Tess said, because it's not ideal. "Checkmate has received information regarding a potential alien invasion. The Reverse-Flash caused a dimensional instability to grow even worse. We're not sure, but the Phantom Zone is likely going to collide with Earth, or at the very least, engineer an early work release of it's prisoners."

Alexa didn't say anything for the moment. She turned to the left and stared at the window with the casual type of stoic indifference one would expect from a Luthor.

"Many of those prisoners are dangerous Kryptonians," Tess said. "We were hoping the LuthorCorp satellite could help up, it has weapons on there which could disable those dangerous Kryptonians."

Alexa's head turned a fraction of an inch to the side and stared Tess down. Tess noticed the chilling expression belonging to her sister.

"I had those weapons all disabled, "Alexa said.

Tess blinked, fair enough, she supposed. Curiosity got the better of her though when she pressed on.

"Mind if I ask why you had the weapons disabled?" Tess asked, and Alexa responded with a half-raise of her eyebrow. Tess took a deep breath and frowned.

"It's very simple, actually," Alexa said, speaking in the most frank voice possible. "It results in too much of a temptation. There's still enough of me which is like Lex in the back of my mind."

Almost on cue, more images flashed through Alexa's mind where Lex stabbed Tess. A combination of regret and satisfaction flashed through Lex's eyes when he stabbed Tess.

"I can see the moment you almost died," Alexa said. Tess stood up straighter than ever before and stared down Alexa for a moment. "I see it, I see it through his eyes."

"You saw, what he saw?" Tess asked.

"Yes," Alexa said. "And there are times where…it causes me to feel a rush of adrenaline. I can't quite put my finger on it. It just feels good to see someone who was an obstacle in the way of my goals be put out of my way. I…regret it, but at the same time, it's satisfying. He's still lurking in the recesses of my mind."

"We'll find a way to suppress him, if he's doing what you think he's doing," Tess said. "I'm actually surprised he would choose a female to try and take over post-death. And let's face it, I doubt you'd look good bald."

Alexa almost cracked a smile in response. Her ability to smile had been utterly compromised these days, well during most days really, if she was perfectly honest and extremely blunt with the entire situation.

"And remember, anything which can be disabled, can be re-enabled with a little bit of work," Tess said. She stood up straight to hear footsteps. Tess reached behind her to pull out a book and slide a bookshelf back to reveal one of the many secret passageways inside LuthorCorp. "And there's my cue to leave."

Mercy walked into the room the moment Tess escaped through the side entrance. The secretary stepped inside the building with a folder of documents dangling from her hand.

"The information you requested, Ms. Luthor," Mercy said in her usual business like tone.

"Yes, thank you, Mercy," Alexa said, taking the information from Mercy's hands.

Alexa smiled when she looked over the information in her hands. Before her, every bit of information about her life and Project Prodigal laid in her hand. The Luthor heiress vowed to go over it in due time and make sure she had uncovered pretty much every detail possible to win the day.

Something else entered her mind though. The best way to spite Lex would be to help his most hated enemy. He may have lurked in the recesses of her mind. Alexa pushed him back. She remained in control and no one was going to stop her, no one, no one at all.

* * *

Amanda Waller rounded on the various members of the Suicide Squad when they stood front and center. The woman resembled an ill-tempered bulldog when staring down them. Strict discipline and a firm hand was absolutely necessary to keep this particular crew in line, as far as Waller could be concerned.

Harley Quinn stood front and center, with other members of the Suicide Squad around her. Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Metallo, Cheetah, Bane, Plastique, and Livewire stood before her, awaiting orders. Some of them more impatiently than others.

"As you know, I drafted the recently incarnated Clock King to act as technical support and planning," Waller said. "Follow his plans, and we should be able to stop this invasion before it spreads."

"Just one question?" Livewire asked, extending her thumb towards Metallo. "Are we going to trust him blindly? He's not exactly your typical freedom fighter. He' was a terrorist and a mercenary before he underwent the operation."

"Yes, and you were a brash, trash, journalist, luv, we all have our drawbacks," Metallo said, staring down Livewire. Livewire stared back in a hateful glare. "I may not like this situation, but I know where my bread is buttered now."

Waller nodded. She understood the calculated risk she took by re-powering Metallo, especially after what he did last time. Waller wouldn't have gotten where she was without taking all of the proper steps to ensure she had the upper hand. She refused to all the house of cards so expertly built to crumple into a pile in front of her.

"You may all be among the vilest criminals in the world," Waller said. "You may have committed crimes far too unspeakable and far too numerous to state here. But you have one thing in common. Earth is your home, and the end of the world means the end of you as well."

"Yeah, and I don't fancy our odds against a bunch of aliens the do-gooders could barely wrangle," Captain Boomerang said. "I'm going to need a bigger weapon than a blinking boomerang to take these guys out."

"Ms. Waller, I don't agree on you with much," Bane said in a crisp tone. "This is one thing though, I do agree with you whole heartedly. There is no profit in the end of the world. There is no end game. As much as it pains me to be treated like common gutter trash…."

"Hey, who are you calling gutter trash?" Harley asked. "You know, you wouldn't be so big and bad, if it weren't for your steroids. Well, jokes on you, buddy, because every time your muscles grow, your balls shrink!"

"I won't have to take this…."

"Enough!" Waller barked, when looking at the members of the Suicide Squad. "You're acting like entitled children, so I suggest you knock it off. We have enough problems with the alien invasion."

Waller activated a protector and showed them the overlay of the planet. Large holes were getting larger all over the planet.

"So, I'm not a rocket scientist or anything," Harley said. "But, if those holes…um if they start coming together…will the Earth…get swallowed up whole or something?"

"Yes, or something," Waller said, not distracting herself from the point at hand. "The more likely outcome is the Phantom Zone will collide with Earth and reduce it into microscopic little particles."

"Oh, really, um….wow," Harley said, her usually bubbly demeanor fading out into absolute nothingness. Harley's heart thumped over her chest even more. "You know, the entire Suicide Squad name is scarily accurate, isn't it?"

Three armored men rolled out a stack of crates. The crate popped open to reveal a huge cache of weapons being revealed underneath the eager eyes of the members of the Suicide Squad.

"Wow, looks like we've just hit the big time!" Harley exclaimed, a bright smile crossing her face. Waller's gaze cut through the air.

"These were liberated from an Intergang shipment," Waller said. "They were developed to fight Supergirl and Superwoman. They should be enough to keep the prisoners in the Phantom Zone at bay?"

"Should be?" Harley asked.

"Well, it isn't exactly like Intergang succeeded in bringing Supergirl and Superwoman down," Livewire said. "Makes me wonder how good those weapons really are."

"To be fair, Intergang were a bunch of idiots," Harley said, shaking her head.

"Just put a gun in my hand, and give me something to shoot at," Deadshot said. "I'm your man."

Deadshot stepped forward and the weapon placed into his hand. He studied it handily. Might be a little more high-tech than he normally used. You couldn't beat the price though.

"Everyone move out, and wait for the Clock King's signal," Waller said. "He's calibrated when the portal opens next."

* * *

Diana and Helena stood out preparing to lead the League into battle. They would have to hold down the fort here on Earth while Kara and Claire headed into the Phantom Zone, as dangerous of an area as that was.

"You do realize Earth is going to be even more dangerous," Helena said, walking inside the Hall of Justice.

Helena couldn't describe how much she hated the term Hall of Justice. There were far worse ways to describe the Justice League's headquarters she supposed. All of them didn't frustrate her nearly as much. Chloe gave it the name and it stuck.

"The League is ready," Diana said. "And I've told my mother about this, and the Amazons are going to be ready to help in any way they can."

"Good," Helena said. "We're going to need all of the help we can get."

"And you will have it."

Helena turned around and noticed the Daughters of the Demon standing in the shadows. Talia and Nyssa approached her. Helena raised an eyebrow, only moderately annoyed about their presence in this area.

"I think we're going to need better locks," Helena said.

"Alia explained the situation, and now she has the League under her control, it's only fitting we help," Talia said. "We have a small army ready to go at one of the points in Asia."

"One of many though," Nyssa said. "Unless you have a better plan than just aimlessly running around, we could be doomed."

"Alia is the one who has the big plan," Helena said. "Although, I've been busy at work."

The two Daughters of the Demon would be deluding themselves if they weren't completely curious regarding what Helena cooked up. The Daughter of the Detective had the best parts of both of her parents inside her. It made her a fairly dangerous and frustrating foe.

"Lead the way, then," Talia said, eying Helena.

Helena activated a teleportation device and stepped inside it. Diana stepped in behind her.

"I'll be watching you," Helena said.

"I don't doubt you for one second," Nyssa said, joining Diana and Helena inside of the teleportation device. A warm flash of light enveloped the four women.

They appeared in a darkened area. Helena stepped towards a panel off to the side and inputted some access codes. The lights popped on to reveal the windows which looked at Earth. An eerie red glow surrounded the planet, showing all of the holes which had been pulled open.

"Behold, the new and improved watchtower," Helena said, without missing a beat of any sort.

"I see you've been busy," Talia said.

The previous Watchtower had been commandeered by Brainiac and used in his attempted invasion on Earth last year. This particular Watchtower should help save the planet, if Alia, Kara, Karen, and Claire failed with their trip inside the Phantom Zone.

"Lady Shiva and White Canary are leading the League on the ground," Nyssa said, answering Diana's unasked question. "And now we're going to assist the Justice League in our own way."

Talia never thought they would see the day where the League of Assassins would stand up with the Justice League. Their father would be running over in his grave, if there was enough of him left to bury.

' _Then again, we need to prepare for anything,'_ Talia thought. _'The League would have never been able to achieve their goals if there was no world left to help achieve those goals with.'_

An eerie glow surrounded Earth. It could mean the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning.

* * *

Alia always hated to be a person who would not lead by example. She stepped into the Phantom Zone.

"Choose your shots wisely," Alia warned them. "In here, you're running on whatever reserves you have."

Kara, Karen, and Claire all thought they might as well have had large targets on their backs. Kara and Karen's mother and Claire's father were responsible for other half of the Phantom Zone inmates. The moment any of them noticed their visitors here, this entire plan would have been sunk.

The Girl of Steel in particular kept her eyes fixated forward. This wasn't her first visit to the Phantom Zone, and it wasn't Claire's either. They hoped it would be the last.

"We can't split up either," Kara said. "The Zone has an excellent way of playing with the minds of the people inside it. It's a prison first and foremost."

Claire closed her eyes. They used this place as a dumping ground for the worst of the worst. No prison held these dangerous prisoners. They all remained locked inside.

"I agree," Claire said. "I forgot how horrible of a place this is."

Claire managed to push any self-doubts from her mind.

A rattling sound caused her to jerk up. A wild Phantom could have been coming around the corner.

"You can't spill blood no matter what," Alia warned them. "They'll sense the blood, and they'll sense….."

A figure appeared out from behind a cliff in the blink of an eye. A miniature blade withdrew and stabbed towards Alia. Alia dodged the blade no sooner than she fought.

Kara caught a good enough glimpse of the figure. Feral breathing came throughout the Phantom Zone. Ragged robes covered what Kara assumed to be an extremely feminine figure.

The figure turned around and recognized Claire, or so it seemed. The knife-wielding prisoner stabbed at her a couple of more times. Claire dodged the attacks, while utilizing a minimal amount of power.

The knife-wielder turned around and moved off into the distance. Alia watched her, curiosity brimming in her mind.

"Let's go," Alia said.

"We're not seriously following some feral prisoner who tried to stab us?" Karen asked.

"We have to figure out who sent her," Alia said.

Karen sensed there was some other situation coming around the corner. She had a sinking suspicion there was more to this than met the eye.

The figure disappeared around the corner and Karen couldn't really describe how relieved she was at this figure disappearing. Her heart pounded around the edge of her chest a little bit more.

"We lost her," Alia said. Kara gave her one of those looks which plainly told her to stay focused. "On the bright side…we found the other thing we were looking for."

"What were we looking for, precisely?" Kara asked.

"I have the equipment which can seal the rifts in the Phantom Zone from the inside," Alia said, shouldering the bag containing said equipment. "Without the proper power source though, it's about as effective as shining a flash light to the other side."

Alia stepped inside and smiled. The lab had everything they needed. Kara stopped and looked around, mouth hanging open.

"This place looks familiar," Kara said, blinking a few more times. "No, no, it can't be."

"What can't be?" Claire asked.

The doors swung open and Claire prepared for another encounter of the Phantom Zone kind. A figure stepped inside, nervously staring at them.

"Who's there?"

Kara's mouth hung open. A tall blonde woman who looked like she could be Kara or Karen's older sister stepped into the forefront. Only one word popped from Kara's mouth.

"Mother?"

* * *

 **To Be Continued on June 3** **rd** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _Naturally everyone gets ready for an alien invasion. The Justice League, the League of Assassins, Amazons, the Suicide Squad. Pretty much chaotic to be honest._

 _And the plot thickens. Just when Kara's life couldn't get filled with more drama._

 _Until Friday._


	74. Chapter 74

**Chapter Seventy-Four: Gambit of Zod Part One.  
**

* * *

Kara could not believe her eyes. The Girl of Steel did her best impression of someone who saw a ghost and for all intents and purposes she did. Her mouth hung open. Alura stood there in the flesh right across from her. Kara couldn't even believe Alura was here, in front of her. Kara's mind went wild with many different explanations.

A small, and rather paranoid part of her thought, thought this was some kind of Phantom Zone trick. Alura's presence was used to lure her into a false sense of security to take her guard down. A larger part of Kara's mind on the other hand embraced the illusion. There was a part of her instincts which knew this could not be a trick. Alura stood out behind her.

"Mother?" Kara asked, taking a deep breath. Alura took a step forward and Alia took a step between them. "Alia, I think we can trust her."

"I know you think we can trust her," Alia said as she whipped out a hand scanner and ran it over Alura. Alura opened her mouth for a second.

"Impressive," Alura said without missing a beat. "You have created a high tech device which can sniff out phantoms. It's a useful device when entering the Phantom Zone. And if I was tricking you, it would be quite handy to unmask me."

Alura would be lying if she didn't become rather impressed with this particular piece of technology wielded by this young woman. It would have come handy in here a few times. She had some extremely unfortunate near misses when the Phantoms came close to wiping her out. The Phantoms didn't wipe her out though and Alura stood as strong as she always did during times like this.

"So, are you done being paranoid?" Kara asked, and Alia gave her one of these side long looks. "I think I can trust my own instincts regarding my own mother. Maybe you….."

"Kara, I trust you, really I do," Alia said. "Even if the feeling is not mutual sometimes….and I have to say you're right, this is your mother."

Kara blinked for a moment. Her heart gave a huge leap into her chest and a song entered the heart of the Girl of Steel. She almost did a bit of a dance and a spin around as well. Kara swayed a little bit to the left and then a little bit to the right.

"She is?" Kara asked, smiling when she looked back at Alia. Alia responded with a brisk nod to end all brisk nods. "She really and truly is…oh this is amazing."

Alia wouldn't be sure to say amazing would be the right word. She hoped Kara would be extremely happy. The Girl of Steel rushed forward and engulfed Alura into a hug. Alura returned the hug.

"My sweet, Kara, I never….I never thought I'd see you again," Alura said, arms wrapped tightly around Kara. "And you've grown up to be so beautiful, I can't believe….well, I'm just glad you're alive."

Kara held her arms around Alura's waist for another long moment. She didn't want to let go over her mother and didn't care how childish people thought it was. The Girl of Steel enjoyed the warmth of the hug for a long moment. Kara had dreams like this and now all of them were coming true.

A moment of enjoyment passed before Kara needed to withdraw and ask Alura one particular question. "I thought you….I thought you perished when Kandor fell. I mean, you entered your lab to get something, and then….."

"It was very fortunate I escaped," Alura said taking a deep breath. She decided an explanation to her daughter and companions were more than in order. "When Kandor fell, I needed to see if I can salvage something in my lab. One of my portals malfunctioned and it gave me a small backdoor to the Phantom Zone. To make a long story short, you're here."

Alura took a deep breath and decided to address the one thing she didn't want to come to terms with no matter how long she spent in the Phantom Zone.

"Krypton's dead, isn't it?" Alura asked.

Kara reached around Alura and hugged her tight. Mother and daughter shared a solemn moment with each other.

"I'm sorry, it's all gone," Kara said, slowly pulling away from Alura. "It happened….well it happened weeks after you had been sucked into the Phantom Zone. It all happened so quickly. Brainiac betrayed us all, then there was Zod, and then…."

Kara trailed off for a moment. Alura's arms tightened around her daughter, holding her close. For a brief second, Kara become the vunerable thirteen year old who stepped o nthe ship, ready to go into an uncertain world. Memories returned back to her.

"Clara, did she make it?" Alura asked.

"Yes, I'm right here," Claire said. "It's a pleasure to meet you…finally, Kara has told me so much about you and my mother, Lara…."

"Oh, Lara's AI made it to….they sent you to Earth, didn't they?" Alura asked. Claire responded with a nod. "You should be very fortunate to have such a wealth of knowledge at your disposal. Your mother was extremely well-read and she studied a fair bit of Kryptonian history. If it wasn't for her….many of our greatest moments would have been lost to time."

"She is pretty great," Claire said, smiling. "And Kara was very lucky to have you as a mother."

A few seconds passed when Alura looked out the window. She needed to tell them, and tell them now.

"Mother, I have a question to ask you," Kara said. Alura turned around and looked her daughter straight into those bright blue eyes. "If you don't mind me asking you it, I'd understand if you'd be upset if I didn't…."

Alura reached in and put a finger on Kara's lips to silence her. Alura stared her daughter in her beautiful eyes and smiled.

"No, my dear, child, questions should be asked, it's the only way you will learn about the wonders of the universe," Alura said. "I believe I've taught you that all the way back on Krypton, when you only came up to the top of my knee."

Kara flushed for a minute in embarrassment. The Girl of Steel recalled her mother's lessons well. Sometimes those lessons got her into trouble. Other times those lessons imparted her with a fair amount of great wisdom.

"It's just….."

The alarm in Alura's lab went off. Alura walked over towards it and started to frown.

"We're under attack," Alura said. "The Phantoms are storming….this happens about once every….well time in here isn't really relevant. It doesn't pass at a normal rate. They're getting more restless…."

"It's because there's a breach between Earth and the Phantom Zone," Kara explained to her mother. "We're here to close it and prevent Earth from getting…..well there's a pretty good chance Earth is going to collide with the Phantom Zone."

"It would mean the destruction of Earth," Claire said.

"Yes, Clara, I know what it means," Alura said, sounding a little bit shorter than she intended. She started to type on the computer in a feverish attempt to put the shields back online. "The shields are responding. We're under attack!"

* * *

Alexa Luthor entered the satellite and sighed. No way she could accomplish her goals remotely. This would have to be done within the satellite to put all of the weapons online. Thankfully, she had the presence of mind to just disable the weapons and not completely take them out of the satellite. Alexa thought if she went as far as removing the weapons, this would be several hours they did not have.

The Luthor Heiress trusted no one other than herself to get this particular task done. She really did hope they would work. Given the weapons the satellite were designed to take down no less than Superwoman or Supergirl, Alexa thought there was a good chance. She just didn't want to bank on the guarantee because assumptions were tools for fools.

She reached into the console and hooked a couple of the cables together. The satellite weapons system blinked back on line. Alexa smiled with a moment of triumph dancing within her eyes. So far, so good, at least she assumed it was so far, so good.

' _You got to stop making assumptions. And this would have been a lot easier if you didn't disable all of the weapons earlier.'_

This particular voice Alexa could do without and she decided to block it from out of the back of her head. Alexa's able hands kept working in and hooking cables together. She made a double check of the calibrations.

The power in the satellite started to flicker around her. Alexa sat rigid in the satellite and didn't do anything in response. She just kept going to work like nothing happened. Atmospheric disturbatances would be something she would have to expect.

Alexa peered out the window towards the rift opening wider above the planet. It flashed for a long moment before her. Alexa pressed her finger against the window.

The timer before her showed the time was running out. The radio set up on the chair started to crackle back to life. Alexa reached behind her and switched it on.

"Yes?" Alexa asked.

"How is your progress?" Helena asked.

"Slow and tedious," Alexa said. "You need not worry about me up here though, I'll do fine. Just worry about what you have to deal with on the ground. If this rift opens, I'm as good as dead anyway."

"We could send someone up there to keep an eye on you," Helena said.

"Don't bother," Alexa said. The woman's voice left precious little room for argument. "There are people down there who are more in need of your help. I can handle myself up here."

Alexa waited for a response. Either Helena accepted what she said or the radio went dead. Alexa put her bottom dollar on the fact the radio went dead and left her in this particular position. The Luthor heiress resumed her work and hooked another black cable. Now, Alexa thought she would be getting somewhere as time ran out.

"Cannon is back on line!" the computer informed her. "Would you like to calibrate the positioning?"

"No," Alexa said. "We'll wait to see where these Phantoms exactly land. Just work on getting the shields back to optimal health."

"This may be a problem," the computer said to Alexa. Alexa raised an eyebrow, even though this action had no effect on the computer. "We are experiencing an atmospheric disturbance. This may prevent us from drawing complete power from the main LuthorCorp satellites."

"Can we maneuver in a way where we can go around the storm?" Alexa asked.

The Luthor heiress waited patiently for an answer as he hands clutched against the clipboard. The metal in Alexa's hand started to bend and twist the more she held onto the clipboard. It turned into a twisted hunk of metal right before her very eyes.

* * *

Alia tried to help Alura get the shields back up. The two of them stared at each other for a long moment and one unsettling back hit them with a blunt force.

"The shields aren't responding for some reason," Alura said. "The atmospheric force which is causing the breech between the Phantom Zone and Earth are causing instabilities with the shields. There's nothing I can do to get them back up."

"We're going to figure out another way," Kara said. The Girl of Steel bent down and picked up a pair of crystal rings. "It's not going to be easy."

"Wouldn't using a device to send them to the Phantom Zone be pointless?" Claire asked.

"Not if we calibrate them to send them away from us," Alia said. "The Phantom Zone is vast and…infinite in some ways. It's….well this isn't exactly the time or the place to have a lecture on the inner workings of the Phantom Zone thanks to the phantoms breathing down our neck….."

The door burst open. Karen rushed in and withdrew a dagger. The dagger stabbed at the phantoms. She had to conserve her energy because in the Phantom Zone she ran completely on reserves.

"Let's see if we can get this calibrated," Kara said to Alia and her mother. "Claire, do you think you help Karen hold them at bay?"

Claire picked up a blaster from the ground and smiled. A couple of years ago, she thought this would be a problem. Her lack of powers crippled her for so long. Alia taught her how to be pretty self-sufficient with them. Claire wasn't sure what this blaster would do.

"You might want to stand clear!" Claire yelled to Karen. Karen didn't need to be told twice and she cleared out of the way without a second thought. Claire armed the laser blaster and clicked it to life. She pulled back and fired at the Phantoms.

The energy blasts fired from the cannon and struck the phantoms full on. The phantoms gave a hissing scream when they had been charged back. Claire clicked back the cannon again and fired at them again. The phantoms stepped back again and had been drawn out of the lab.

"I really wish I could get the shields up," Alura said, looking at the containment rings. Without the proper calibration, these rings would just loop the Phantoms right back around to their feet. "And I'm sending my niece out there…to go out there and die."

"She'll be fine," Kara said. She would be lying if she wasn't worried about Claire. Times like this though, Kara needed to put her faith into her. "She's the protector of the people of Earth…she wouldn't do less than her very best."

"The daughter of Lara, I thought not," Alura said, smiling. She kept her eyes on the calibration and kept working on it. "Let's see, one more small adjustment can do it, Alia…do you think you could help me?"

Claire aimed the cannon one more time towards her Phantom attackers with a solid click. The cannon started to fizzle out when she dangled it.

"Guess, we're doing this the old fashioned way," Claire said. She stopped and noticed the same robed attacker which went after her earlier. "Or not."

Claire braced herself for an attack which never came. The robed attack lunged towards them with a glowing dagger and stabbed the Phantom. The wraith gave a hiss and retreated.

The hooded figure withdrew her hand and impaled a second phantom wraith with the dagger. Phantoms might not be able to be bleed, but they could experience the rush of energy through them. The figure reared her hand back and stabbed the creature again.

Kara and Alia walked from the lab and held up the Phantom Zone ring. It created a miniature vacuum effect and locked onto the Phantoms. It sucked them off transporting them into another area of the Phantom Zone.

The hooded figure, without any prompting, rushed forward. Kara dodged the same dagger which attacked the Phantom. Alia grabbed the hooded figure around the arm and turned her around. The Daughter of Zod jumped up and disarmed the feral woman with one fell swoop. The dagger flew into the air and Alia caught it in her hand. She brandished the dagger which caused the feral woman to lock eyes on her.

"I don't want to hurt you," Alia said, locking her eyes back at the woman. "Lower your hood and show your face."

"My face is not wanted with some of these people."

Claire and Kara thought the hooded woman's look was directed towards her. A long moment passed when Alia gave her an extremely long and searching look. The woman lowered her hood to reveal the face of Faora.

"You," Claire said, stepping back for a moment. A previous encounter with Faora put Claire more than on her guard.

"I….we got off onto the wrong foot last time," Faora said. "The General has his ways of messing with his mind and manipulating people. And he's done it again."

Alia remained extremely calm when she stared down Faora. She wanted answers, and didn't want to play games. Earth was at stake and she would be damned if she lost another world to some dangerous force.

"What's the General up to now?" Alia asked. "Faora, if you know anything concrete about his plans, now's the time to tell us."

Kara didn't want to say anything, they were running out of time. She didn't want to worry about Zod, not now, and not hopefully ever. Granted, Zod was always a consideration and one they should think about all of the time. So, Kara sucked it all up and listed to Faora.

"I don't know much, he's not exactly too fond of me these days," Faora said. "I think he blames me for being sent back to the Phantom Zone in the first place. He's building an army and he's going to…well he plans to invade Earth and bring Krypton back."

"Old habits die hard, don't they?" Kara asked. Faora blinked and stared at her. "We have a bigger problem than General Zod. If we don't find a way to close the breech within the next hour, we're going to have a collision."

"It's going to destroy Earth and it's going to destroy the Phantom Zone as well," Alura said, exiting the lab. Everyone looked at the scientist. None of them dared asked whether or not Alura was certain because of this. They knew she was certain without a shadow of a doubt. "We're going to have to hurry."

"You have a plan?" Faora asked.

Alura's gaze locked onto Faora's for a couple of seconds. She responded with a nod to show she did in fact have a plan. The looming specter of Zod persisted as a problem. Other elements though caused them a fair amount of woe and agony just as much if not more so.

* * *

Several uniformed men crowded around a field. The field looked as barren as any other area within the Phantom Zone. Each and every one of these gentleman awaited orders from one particular individual. This individual approached them with his usual calm and stoic demeanor. He stood upon the rocks and elevated himself high above all of them. His dark eyes peered down at him. His hair came down and a goatee came down to a point at his chin. He dressed in black and silver robes.

"Kneel before Zod."

All of them kneeled before Zod. The General stared down with a smile on his face. All of his willing soldiers looked prepared.

"Rise before Zod."

All of the soldiers rose up to their feet at a command. They prepared for themselves to leave.

"Sir, the breech still remains open," one of the soldiers said. "What if it doesn't get closed in time?"

"Your lack of faith is astounding," Zod said. "Come closer to me."

The soldier stepped closer towards Zod. The others held their breath in and waited to see what Zod would do. Zod reached towards one of his men and wrapped a hand tightly around the soldier's throat. The soldier fell down to his knees as Zod throttled him.

"Do you think it's prudent to question me for one second?" Zod asked, the grip tight, but also loose enough for the soldier to shake his head in negative. "You see the futility in questioning me. Yet you do it. Therefore, you're considered one thing, a fool, and I don't suffer the presence of fools lightly at all."

Zod let go of the choke and the man fell down at the General's feet in a crumpled heat. The General turned his head a fraction of the inch to the side and viewed over his men.

"I have gathered you in the Phantom Zone," Zod said. "Many of them would have been torn apart by the elements, had it not been for my intervention."

The men in the Phantom Zone responded with the most brisk nods possible. They all knew how much they owed Zod and how much he could rip it away from them if he so chose to do so. The General looked towards them, smiling at their obedience. His soldiers always knew when to fall in line. It only took some casual reinforcement before Zod could win the day.

"The breech will be closed," Zod said. "And it will allow our path to conquer Earth smoothly."

Zod wished not to destroy Earth, not with the plans he had for it. The collision would mean his own destruction as well something which he avoided. A small miscalculation on Krypton allowed him to be sent to the Phantom Zone.

"She is here though," Zod said. "The Daughter of Jor-El….and we finish this, thanks to the gift I had been handed. The behavior modifications will work, won't they, Non?"

"Yes, sir," Non said, nodding in response. Zod managed to restore his intelligence after the Council stripped it of him. It was a dangerous procedure, and if he had been of sound mind he would have done so.

"Yes, unchain my son."

Non and two other soldiers walked forward and unhooked Doomsday. The creature stepped forward and made its way towards Zod.

"You are angry at me, aren't you?" Zod asked. A growl told Zod pretty much all he needed to know. "Your anger is misplaced. Clara El is in the Phantom Zone….you have been made to annihilate her and anyone who stands in your path. Do you understand your directive?"

"Yes," Doomsday said.

"Good, boy," Zod said, as if addressing a pet. "There's a lab to the North…take her out."

Zod had a killswitch implanted on Doomsday which he could use to put the beast to his knees. He brought the monster into this world, so Zod would be damned if he couldn't take him out as well.

* * *

Alia, Alura, Kara, Karen, Faora, and Claire reached the access point of the Phantom Zone. It was just where Alia thought it was. She could see some of the crystals sticking out.

"If we re-adjust these crystals, and send an energy pulse through the Phantom Zone, we could close the breech," Alia said. "And in the interest of full disclosure, charging the energy crystals could also blow us all into atoms."

Kara wasn't sure if she liked the new, blunt, Alia to be perfectly honest. She did tell them what they needed to know even if they might not like what they needed to know.

"There's one more thing I should mention as well," Alura said. "The portal will open and return you back to Earth, but someone needs to stand by and stabilize the process."

"I'll do it!" Faora and Alia yelled both in unison.

The two stared at each other for a long moment.

"I can find my way out if I do so," Alia said. "And if not…."

"You don't deserve being trapped here forever, and ripped apart," Faora said. "I was trapped in the Zone…..I should be the one to pay for my crimes and hold the line down until something gets through. It has to be me, and there's no argument about it. It has to be me."

A loud roar off to the distance caused this argument to be stopped. Everyone turned around and looked on in shock. Doomsday approached them.

Claire's blood ran cold the moment she came face to face with the monster who killed her all of this time ago. She stood completely rigid and chills blew down her spine.

"SUPERWOMAN!"

Alia rushed in front of Claire to engage Doomsday before she could react.

"I'll hold him off, you work on the breech!" Alia yelled. "Nothing else matters, given I'm the one who is going to have to hold it."

Off in the distance Zod watched as two of his children prepared to battle. This wasn't what he had in mind. It did prove to be extremely interesting nonetheless.

 **To Be Continued on June 7** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _And the usual hell in the Phantom Zone continues. And Zod has a masterplan, but doesn't he always?_

 _Until Tuesday._


	75. Chapter 75

_Chapter of the Week Voting is Up at It's Usual Location.  
_

* * *

 **Chapter Seventy-Five: Gambit of Zod Part Two.**

Doomsday's programming made him the ultimate wrecking machine and also one prime fixation. He needed to kill the daughter of Jor-El to assert his dominance. Anyone in his way, no matter who they are, were annoyances he needed to stop. Doomsday rushed towards one of those annoyances with hands outstretched. A flare of red flashed through the monster's eyes.

Alia avoided Doomsday's large fist before it punched her straight in the face. Doomsday growled and turned around. Alia hammered away at Doomsday and started to nail him across the back of the head. Stinging punches caught Doomsday flush on. The monster spun around, swiped his fist in an attempt to take Alia down. Alia dodged the attack and came back up with a huge cracking punch to the side of the neck. More punches started to rock Doomsday and cause him to slump over.

The monster had been knocked back. Alia winced at the sheer pain which rocked through her body. Her knuckles reddened and thanks to the Phantom Zone did not heal. Even with her extra abilities, the healing was slow.

Doomsday staggered for a moment and wretched a large piece of wood out of the ground. The creature charged Alia. Alia avoided the attack and shot a spark against the back of the creature's legs. The creature gave an agonizing scream when the attack caught him. The creature used the piece of wood as a baseball bat. Alia dodged the attack. The bat smashed against the side of the chair.

Kara's wide eyes watched Alia when Doomsday tried to lay a beating down on her. Alura placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder and steered her back.

"I'm going to need your help getting this ready," Alura said. "Alia can handle herself out there, you just need to have faith, Kara."

Kara nodded. More than enough evidence to show how much Alia could handle herself out there in battle, if she had to say so herself. Doomsday raised his arms into the air and a sickening growl echoed for all to see.

Claire could see the monster which was meant to attack her. Moments flashed back into the girls mind. The creature causing a path of destruction on Earth remained fresh in Claire's mind. She remembered Doomsday when he ripped through pretty much everything and everyone in this particular path of destruction. The girl's heart started to beat several moments faster.

"Come on, you're pathetic!" Alia yelled. She lured Doomsday in for the attack.

Doomsday raised a large hand and motioned for Alia to move out of the way. The Daughter of Zod decided not to play ball. She instead sent something in the side of Doomsday's neck. Doomsday howled out in agony. The wounded animal rushed forward and sent Alia flying to the ground.

Alia landed on the ground. The knife Faora attacked the phantoms with pressed in the palm of her hand. One hit was needed to properly take Doomsday out. Alia's heart hammered hard against her ribs and she looked up just in time for Doomsday to rush towards her. The creature took a running start towards Alia, murderous intentions flashing through his eyes.

Doomsday missed the mark of grabbing Alia's head at the last possible second and squashing it like it was an overripe melon. Alia nailed Doomsday multiple times between the shoulder blade and caught him with a dagger swipe to the back of the neck. Doomsday's head popped back with agony. The creature turned around and howled when he reached towards Alia's throat.

Alia avoided Doomsday's large hand to wrap around her. Something jumped over her head and Alia's mouth opened.

Claire summoned enough of her strength to get Doomsday's attention. A huge roundhouse punch rocked the creature and staggered him back a couple of steps. Doomsday responded with a howling growl and charged Claire one more time.

Alia wondered what Claire's aversion to listening to orders was. The Daughter of Zod monitored the progress of Doomsday and an idea entered her mind. It may sound insane in her head, but it really had to work. And Claire disobeying her request not to get involved really did work out well in the end, at least to a certain extent.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Claire yelled.

Her outward bravado failed to match Claire's inward thoughts. She would have to be perfectly honest. She was a bit terrified of Doomsday. More than a little bit actually, the monster haunted her nightmares and would not be leaving it any more. Doomsday grabbed Claire around the throat and held on.

Kara made her way over to try and help. Alura and Karen placed their hands on either side of Kara's arms and held her back.

"No, stick with the plan," Alura said. "Trust me; it will pay out in the end."

Kara really hoped for their sake the plan would pan out. She experienced a heavy amount of frustration in the pit of her stomach. Her cousin lost to Doomsday once and set them on a dangerous path.

Doomsday completely and utterly ignored Alia. Alia smiled at the beast's tunnel vision. He was completely ignoring everything and anything which did not result in his implied directive. The creature swung his large fist towards Claire who dodged it.

The moment he turned around, Alia struck like the coiled viper. An electrified bolt caught Doomsday directly in the chest. The unstoppable monster experienced something he never thought it would. An utterance of pain filled his voice and he staggered back. Alia swiped him with another stab to the chest and it cause him to stagger back.

One of the black rings they used to transport the Phantoms were in her hand. Alia pressed the ring against Doomsday's chest and it caused him to be sucked elsewhere into the Phantom Zone.

Alia collapsed down onto the ground. She had to take a couple of shots to make this work. Alia turned her head a fraction of an inch in time to see Alia kneel down by her side. A frown passed over Alia's face when she looked towards Claire.

"Are you okay?" Claire asked.

"I'm still breathing," Alia, dragging herself up to a standing position. "Therefore, I'm still okay."

Alia took a moment to catch her breath and to keep herself extremely calm. She might have avoided the worst of all of this. This didn't mean there still wasn't work to do and also plenty of it. Alia slumped against the wall and hitched in a deeper breath.

' _My work really is never done,'_ Alia thought for a couple of seconds.

X-X-X

General Zod observed the battle. His daughter interjected herself into the battle and found it to be quite interesting. Doomsday's make-up didn't really make for many tactics. Alia made up for it. He smiled even though a feeling of deep disappointment and even deeper resentment for the daughter of Jor-El sank into the pit of his stomach. She managed to come out ahead once again.

Zod knew there would come a time where all would either kneel before him or they will be crushed beneath his feet. The General's eyes fixated on his enemies from afar and turned around.

They would need to leave Alura to her work. Zod needed the breaches in order, otherwise his mission was in peril.

"Commander, what do you have to say?" Zod asked.

The commander clenched his fist and placed it on his chest.

"Sir, we're back on schedule," the commander said when he looked at Zod. "We're just awaiting your orders on what to do next."

"My next orders will be coming soon," Zod said. "You tell the others to prepare themselves, and remember…they're going to need to be prepared the moment they arrive on Earth. By my calculations, it will be eight hours before the yellow solar radiation empowers them. So we need to leave at the proper point. If we run into Nightfall, then…..our military training will serve us. I would naturally prefer a swift and decisive victory with a minimal amount of casualties.

The commander grunted and nodded in response. He turned around and allowed Zod to remain with his thoughts for the next few minutes.

Zod thought back to his last failed invasion of Earth. The less said about this the better. It was a spur of the moment thing and he had been more ignorant. He underestimated the terrain and also underestimated the daughter of Jor-El. Both of these factors resulted in a humiliating defeat from Zod.

His attention also returned down to the battle. Doomsday was an interesting diversion, and it also allowed him to see how much his daughter had grown over the past number of years. Zod experienced a fair amount of pride from his daughter's success out there.

The Daughter of Jor-El intervening before the battle reached a natural conclusion dismayed Zod. He would have to take the bad with the good in cases like this. The General set his jaw and prepared for the night.

Zod turned and walked forward. He knew exactly what he wanted to say to these men who had laid their lives down on the line in an attempt to bring forth a new dawn and a brand new age for Krypton. Some of them had been among the worst criminals in the universe.

The General proved his skills by taking the worst criminals in the universe and molding them into skilled soldiers. Their bloodlust allowed him to manipulate them. They were tools to serve a certain purpose. This purpose was any one Zod wished to accomplish. The General's smile grew extremely prominent.

The entire army looked up at Zod. The General motioned for them. All on cue like the perfect puppets he trained them to be, they sunk down to their knees before Zod.

"Excellent," Zod said with a smile on his face. "We are all in this together. We've braved the harshest conditions possible inside this Phantom Zone. And I think you can all agree we've all grown much stronger, haven't we?"

The men all murmured in response. Zod's lips curled into one of his more knowing smiles when he looked down at them all.

"Strength comes with each and every one of us," Zod said. "I must allow you to call upon all of your inner strength and be the force which is needed to bring a new age. We're not only saving ourselves, but we're saving the planet known as Earth as well. It is insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe. We're going to make something out of it. We're going to bring forth a brand new age of Krypton!"

Zod's fist curled and he lifted it high into the air. They all responded by lifting them high into the air.

"I will not sugarcoat it," Zod said. "Some of you may fall for our crusade. Given the hell you've experienced, we can all agree death is a warm embrace."

They all started to buzz even more. Zod had his captive audience firmly etched in the palm of his hand.

"Now, one more time, kneel before Zod!"

X-X-X

Lois Lane always had a sixth sense of where to be when the danger was. The danger occurred in the middle of downtown Metropolis. Lois stood behind a barricade. She scoffed when taking one long look at the barricade and one particular thought entered the mind of the reporter.

' _This barricade isn't going to stop these phantoms any more than it's going to stop someone like me.'_

The air turned a bit stale around them. Three red cloaked phantoms escaped through the Vortex and engaged Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl of the Justice League. Hawkgirl's mace swung and the energy coming from it backed off the Phantoms a moment later. One of them raised a clawed hand.

Lois followed the progress as did the few town's people who had been kept outside. A blur came by them. The Flash stood next to them.

"You all need to get out of here, this could get dangerous!" the Flash yelled.

The people of Metropolis all backed off from this situation. All of them except for Lois Lane who stood stead fast. The Flash sighed when she looked at her.

"Welcome back, Iris," Lois said when she was certain everyone was out of an earshot. "The rumors of your demise were exaggerated, I see."

"Very exaggerated," Iris said. She took a moment to clear the thoughts from her head. "You shouldn't be out here though Lois…it's way too dangerous."

"Yes, I get that a lot," Lois said. "And someone has to cover what's going on….even if there might not be no one around to read the story later."

Iris closed her eyes. She tried the best to get through to Lois. There just wasn't a sufficient amount of time to drill the message through her thick skull. Lois always was among the more frustrating to talk to in situations. Come to think of it, Iris wasn't much better to be perfectly honest. She had her share of getting into trouble. Given it put her in the crossfire of a dangerous explosion which caused her to receive these powers, she couldn't really throw too much shade.

One of the Phantoms made its move, heading straight for the attack. The Flash rushed towards it and knocked it off guard.

Lois always remembered how much watching the Flash fight gave her a slight headache. The super fast blur punches connected with the Phantom. Lois remembered every time she watched the Flash fight, it made her a little bit dizzy. The rapid fire explosion of punches kept nailing the Phantom full on.

A second Flash made her way to join the battle. Now, Lois had double the speed force. And her head started to spin quite a fair bit.

"Wait, there are two Flashes now?"

Lois almost jumped into the air. Cat Grant walked behind her so fast Lois thought she tapped into the speed force herself.

"Apparently so," Lois said. "You know, I thought you left town with the rest of them. And I wouldn't have blamed you."

"I decided to stick around," Cat said.

Lois wasn't going to argue. She wondered what the two Flashes were doing.

"Stay back behind the barricade, Cat," Lois said. "It's too dangerous….."

A loud squealing sound occurred and Cat looked into the sky. Something demonic swiped its claws from the edge of the barrier. It tried to poke out to grab at the two reporters.

"It seems pretty dangerous behind the barricade as well, doesn't it?" Cat asked. "If I didn't know any better, there wasn't any place on Earth where it would be safe."

Lois didn't want to be the one to confirm Cat was right. There was Phantoms trickling in from every direction and no end in sight.

"Stand clear!"

Lois knew why in an instant why she had been told to stand clear. The two Flashes formed a corkscrew which shot into the air. The super powered corking motion created a vortex along with a tornado effect. The tornado effect began to sweep up the Phantoms and launch them directly out of the way.

The heart of the reporter smacked against her ricage. This near death experience would be one where she would not forget it any time soon.

Cat's eyes followed the situation. Terror spread over the young reporter.

"Are you regretting not leaving?" Lois asked.

"No, I don't regret it," Cat said, hitching in a breath when she watched the situation around her. "I just wish….well this looks like a job for Superwoman doesn't it?"

Lois cringed at Cat bringing up the grotesque elephant in the room. The two didn't have a chance to touch base after Claire's resurrection. Lois feared they now might not get a chance to touch base after said resurrection given the circumstances of the situation. She hoped for the best, and at the same time really did fear the absolute worst.

"It does."

X-X-X

Alexa knew a little work made a person humble. She spent the last few minutes trying to piece together every bit of the space station she could. Two of the cables snapped together and a flare of energy spread over the station.

"Weapon systems are ninety seven percent online!" the computer said.

Alexa didn't bring a rag to wipe her face clean. If she did, Alexa would be going for the rag right about now. The Luthor woman started to breath heavily.

' _Only three more percent,'_ Alexa thought. _'We're really getting down to the wire on this one, aren't we?'_

Alexa didn't want to inspire a certain portion of her mind to chime in with the obvious face she never should have disabled the weapon systems. Alexa made herself more than aware of the fact these weapon systems should have never been disabled. Bad idea all around to disable them, but Alexa couldn't really do much of anything. Her hands touched the edge of the cables.

The radio had been going in and out. Alexa only had a few snatches of League conversational traffic. She was isolated up here pretty much.

A loud boom echoed from above.

"Luthor, if you can hear me…Phantoms….escape…"

Alexa only heard a few snatches of what Helena said before the radio cut down. The super intelligent woman heard more than enough to understand what she was up against.

"Weapons systems ninety nine percent online."

One thought spread through Alexa's mind.

' _I should have sprung money for a better processor.'_

The Phantoms started to claw at the edge of the space satellite. Alexa found herself relieved at least the shields held up. This was one thing which held true from this entre mess.

' _I guess there's a silver lining….the only thing better would be…..'_

"Weapon systems are one hundred percent online."

These words rang in Alexa's ears like a chorus. They were music to her ears. The weapon systems clicked back online and just in time as well because the Phantoms were about ready to break through.

Alexa pulled herself off of the floor where she had been working into a nice console chair. Sweat dripped down her face from the exertion of what had been done.

' _If only the world could see me now. A Luthor actually doing manual labor….the tabloids wouldn't even print something this outlandish.'_

Alexa adjusted the frequency and armed the cannons. The burst of white hot energy came up from the cannons and fired at the targets.

Direct hit connected with the Phantoms. Alexa heard the inhumane screams coming from them and realized they were more than capable of feeling agony along the lines of everyone else. Alexa clicked the cannon one more time and fired another energy blast.

Several more energy blasts seared the Phantoms.

"Access containment field."

These were not designed to take down Phantoms and trap them. Alexa found herself extremely confident they would work so.

A large black field appeared and enveloped around the Phantoms. Alexa pressed a button to try and blow them back to where they came from.

A bright light appeared around them and the Phantoms reversed their initial course back through the vortex above the planet. Alexa blinked when she saw this happen. Many questions entered her mind with a distinct lack of answers to go along with them.

"Can anyone out there hear me?" Alexa asked.

"The Phantoms are being sucked back into the vortex," Chloe said, interrupting them. "It's almost like…could they be fixing it now?"

The party inside the Phantom Zone may have gotten close to fixing the warps above the Earth. The very thought of which caused Alexa to smile and also put her in an even more uneasy mood. Something else just wasn't right. Things had grown from chaotic to way too calm in a hurry.

X-X-X

Karen, Alia, Alura, and Kara shifted the crystal array back into place. Alura smiled and looked at their handiwork.

"So, this is going to work, right?" Kara asked. "And we're going to be able to go straight through, without any problems?"

"Someone is going to have to hold the portal," Alia said. She gave Faora a warning look as if to tell her to argue. "Providing this works of course."

"It will work."

Alura spoke so firmly Kara almost thought she had come up with this plan a million times before. She just needed a few more able hands to pull it off.

"Kara, I'm glad of what you did, and….the people of Krypton will be proud of what you've become," Alura said.

Kara frowned; this was an extremely odd thing for her mother to say to her.

"I'm proud of what I've become for the people of Earth," Kara said. "Krypton is gone….I've let go."

"Of course, I understand," Alura said. The scientist turned for a second and sighed. "There was just a hope I would escape the Phantom Zone, and there would be a Krypton to return to. I guess it was a dream."

Kara reached in and placed a hand on her mother's, offering her a smile.

"It's alive in all of us," Kara said.

"Yes," Alura said. "I guess we can't rebuild what we lost."

"No, but as long as we have each other," Kara said, smiling and reaching around her mother. The two women exchanged a hug.

Someone cleared her throat. Kara didn't even have to guess who it was this time.

"Sappy family reunion aside, we are running out of time," Alia said.

"Always the mood killer," Kara said. She was smiling despite the nature of her words. "So, do you want to do the honors?"

Alia didn't even waste any time. She flipped the switch and a pulse of energy rose from the crystals and shot all through the Phantom Zone.

"It's working!" Alia yelled. "And I thought…well it doesn't matter, it's working."

Alia's overlay flashed up. The pockets of energy not only sealed the vortexs up, it reversed the course of the Phantoms and sent them back into the Phantom Zone where they belonged.

A sound of clapping could be heard. Claire turned over to see a familiar face.

"You!"

"I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your help," Zod said. "This invasion could not have been possible without your assistance."

"You…we sealed the breaches," Alia said. "Therefore your plans….."

"It wasn't in my plans to make the Phantom Zone collide with Earth," Zod said. "It would have been dangerous for me to mobilize for the planned invasion of Earth, had the instabilities remained. You all helped me, and I thank you. You are smart, but this time you outsmarted yourself."

Alia clutched her fists wanting to wrap her hands around the neck of this smug asshole.

"And I'd like to thank you for all of your help, Alura," Zod said. "Now with the dimensional barriers destroyed, I can transport my army to Earth and create a brand new Krypton."

Alura's gaze burned into Zod's face. Anger swam over the most brilliant woman in Krypton.

"You promised me I would see my daughter," Alura said. "You said nothing about enslaving the people of Earth."

"Enslave hardly, more like liberate from their own demise," Zod said. "The people of Earth will continue to squander a particularly good planet. The best of them will be kept, enhanced, used as breeding stock for my army. The rest will perish, for they are no use."

Zod swept over towards Kara, Faora, Alura, and Alia.

"Each and every one of you can help me, we can help rebuild Krypton as a family," Zod said. "As it should be, the House of Zod raising above all….."

Claire's confusion became obvious as Zod looked at Kara. Kara stared back at this.

"I have nothing to do with you!" Kara yelled.

"Oh, but you do, you have much to do with me…daughter," Zod said. "Judging by the look on his daughter's face, Jor-El kept the secret to the grave. Kara, I am your father."

"I wasn't aware Star Wars made it to Krypton," Claire said coldly. "You're out of your mind, Zod, and a liar."

Alura shifted nervously and spoke.

"It's true I…I injected myself with Zod's DNA when Zor-El couldn't get the job done," Alura said. "Zod is Kara's father."

Kara heard the confirmation from her mother. Claire looked from Kara to Alura and then back to Zod.

"He's not her father," Claire said. "Merely a sperm donor."

Zod hauled off and slapped the taste out of Claire's mouth for this statement. Kara moved in to defend her cousin. Zod's army moved in to defend him. Both sides stood off.

"Enough, no Kryptonian blood will be spilled at this moment."

Zod produced a purple crystal which glowed with a pulse of energy. The energy pulse caught all of the parties involved. Alura, Faora, Karen, Alia, Kara, and Claire had all been trapped in Phantom Zone cells.

"I'll return to you when you figure out where your loyalties lie," Zod said. "After new Krypton is established, I will have a use for able bodied females to help repopulate. I will even forgive the spawn of Jor-El if she….KNEELS BEFORE ZOD!"

Claire would never kneel before Zod under any circumstances. Zod hurled the crystal he used to create the cells into the vast wastelands of the Phantom Zone and turned to his soldiers.

"Activate the portal. Jor-El's legacy will be the undoing of the primitive planet he admires so much."

The portal opened up and Zod's army disappeared through it leaving the group stranded in the Phantom Zone.

 **To Be Continued on June 10** **th** **, 2016.**

 _Well, the instabilities are resolved, which is what Zod wanted. And Zod just tricked Alura into helping him._

 _Claire does have a bit of snark on her. She likely gets it from her mother's side of the family. Or some of Lois's charming wit has rubbed off on her._

 _The invasion begins. Until Friday._


	76. Chapter 76

**Chapter Seventy-Six: Against the World Part One.**

* * *

General Zod surveyed the land scape of the planet Earth. He always thought this planet had an intriguing quality to it. It was beautiful, even if a primitive way. The inhabitants of Earth had left a fair amount to be desired and the General intended to wipe all other than the best and the brightest out.

The greatest military leader Krypton and the universe ever saw lead his armed forces from the portal. His men started the march in. Zod turned his attention to address them. A calculating look spread over his face. They were loyal to him, almost to a fault, and they would fight to the very last breath.

These were great qualities in a soldier. Zod felt certain they had no idea what was to come. The General drew in one deep breath.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you to the planet Earth, the location of the new genesis of Krypton! The future is now, if you intend to seize it. I will not mince words, and I can't tell a lie. Many of you will give your lives for the future of our races. Some of you will step into battle. Many of you will not step out of battle under any circumstances whatsoever."

Zod studied the expressions of all of his men and women. Some of them stared back down at him with agitation and others with acceptance. The mixture of emotions proved to be an interesting dynamic for them all.

"I can assure you though if we made it this far, your chances for survival are good. You have all braved some of the harshest conditions. The Phantom Zone is not a location where the weak tend to thrive. Rather those with strength will live. And now, if you follow my orders, Earth will be ours, and a new order will rise."

The people around Zod pumped their fists into the air and cheered madly. All of them yelled at the top of their lungs.

"All hail Zod!"

Zod performed one slight motion directed towards them. They all found their way down to their knees before Zod. He didn't really need to perform much effort to do this. All of them fell into line as seamlessly as you would expect. Zod's smile appeared wickedly when he stared down his troops.

"Yes, all hail Zod," Zod said.

The yellow sunlight beating above the top of his head caused Zod to be empowered. He looked outside of the gates. The first tanks rolled into view in front of Zod. The General's eyes narrowed and a bored smile spread over his face.

"How positively primitive," Zod said as he surveyed the tanks rolling in towards him. "You know what to do, all of you."

The first group of soldiers moved into line just as they had been directed. These soldiers had been among the least skilled of Zod's army. They were warm bodies to set up an attack for the more skilled members of Zod's elite guard.

Zod stepped back to allow his men and women to do their job. They were serviceable at what they did in many respects. The General observed their efforts from the distance.

One of them already could feel a burst of energy from the sun. His hand pushed through the tank and ripped through it. The tank turned into a crushed can and the occupant inside the tank became just as crushed as well. The soldier lifted the crushed tank over the top of his head and hurled it into two other tanks.

The troops on the ground started to attack. One of the Phantom Zone occupants opened her mouth and a sonic scream came out. The troops dropped to their knees for a second.

The occupant needed to recharge a couple of minutes after performing this particular sonic scream trick. The ground troops noticed this particular quirk in her power set straight away. One of them lifted up a modified grenade and hurled it into the air.

The energy knocked the woman off balance. It put them into position for an attack from another Phantom Zone occupant. The man closed his eyes and several bony spikes rose from the skin. The bone spikes fired towards his adversary. The troop gave a horrified scream when he had been ripped to pieces from the attacks.

"These Earth troops have spirit in them," Zod said when he continued his observation of the battle. "Not enough to spare, but enough to make our domination less pathetic."

"Should we back them up, General?" one of his subordinates asked.

"No," Zod said.

One of the soldiers on Earth raised his hand into the air and jumped high into the air. He tried to stab at the adversary. The adversary reached in and wrapped a hand around the throat of the soldier. The soldier struggled until he turned blue in the face.

The Phantom Zoner's hand contorted around the neck of the soldier. Life energy drained from him. The other troops looked at the one which had been strangled.

"Where's our air support?" one of them asked.

They started to fire at the Phantom Zone occupant who drained them. Another one stepped in and turned his hand over. The weapons had been pulled from his hand and dropped down to the ground with a sickening clatter. The troop nearest had a fist impaled through his chest.

Zod watched. They fought valiantly. This valiant fighting cost them their lives. Much blood would be spilled before Zod secured the planet.

* * *

Kara tried to push her way through the gate. The energy rippled back and put the Girl of Steel back at square one. She tried to channel what little energy she had left. It was a no go in an attempt to push through the gate.

"I don't think that would work," Alia said. "These cells are designed to hold the most powerful of prisoners in place. You can't just fight your way out of them."

"There has to be a way out of here!" Kara yelled, almost despondent in her words.

Her fist hit the gate to punctuate one more shot. The energy rippled for a minute before it had been reinforced.

"Zod threw the gate keys out of the way," Alura said. "It's impossible to break them without the gate keys."

The rumbling of a wind blew across the Phantom Zone. The dust of the virtual wasteland almost blinded them all. Claire leaned her neck forward.

"Phantoms," Claire said. "And it's feeding time for them."

Kara thought Phantoms would be the absolute last thing they would need right about now. Last time, they sent the Phantoms off in one direction. They would be extremely sore with the fact they had been launched off into the other direction.

"Alia, I need you to listen to me carefully," Kara said. "I know you have access to my communication headset."

"Yes, but the communication doesn't really work in the Phantom Zone," Alia said. "It gives off a buzzing sound whenever I try to communicate with you through it. Not we need it, I'm right here next to you."

"Yes, we don't need it, but a buzzing sound means you're still getting a signal which you can hack into," Kara said. "And I need you to hack into it and send an overload through it to blow it up."

"Wait, what?" Alia asked.

Kara thought this little plan mandated a bit more explanation than most things. She drew in her breath and started to launch into an explanation.

"A while back, I was trapped inside a force field by Anthony Ivo with seemingly no way out," Kara said. "I had Chloe overload the headset and it created and energy discharge which allowed me to break out long enough.

Everyone blinked and stared at Kara.

"Are you mad?" Karen asked.

"If I were, that would say wonderful things about your mental state," Kara dryly responded.

Karen blinked having been slapped with this particular revelation. The Phantoms were coming so this was really no time to throw down any kind of accusations of any kind. The buxom blonde folded her arms beneath her chest.

"It wouldn't…it couldn't?" Alia asked.

"Actually, it just might," Claire said. "If you overload the frequency the moment the cell ripples and there's an instability, it could widen the hole just enough where Kara can slip through."

Alia blinked and looked at the cell. Every seventy-five seconds there was a flicker for about three seconds of a ripple effect. It wasn't wide enough to get through even with Kryptonian super speed. Alia figured if they did as Kara asked and blew it open, she could get through.

"I don't know how you figured that one out," Alia said. "I taught you well, your observation skills are improved a lot."

"It shows how much your observation skills have degraded," Claire said.

"Could you two can your unresolved sexual tension for a minute?" Faora asked. "The next one should be coming in soon."

Alia gave her older sister one of those long and agitated looks before getting straight to work. She adjusted the frequency.

"The energy could come inward and vaporize you," Alia said.

"A far better fate than getting mauled by blood-thirsty Phantom Zone prisoners," Kara said.

Alia thought Kara had a pretty good point. She locked onto the headset.

"Oh, and you may have a slight ringing sensation in your ear."

The daughter of Zod typed in a few more commands. Here goes nothing, and she really did mean nothing. She pressed the button.

Kara screamed at the sensation of her headset overloading big time. The hole punched through and Kara launched herself through before it could close properly.

The Girl of Steel spent a couple of moments recollecting herself and regaining her bearings. She was still in one piece, alive, and the Phantoms were still coming after her entire family.

Zod really was cruel. Kara wondered if he thought of the consequences of his actions. Seeing how warped the crazed General ended up turning out, Kara would not have been surprised at the very slightest.

Her conserved speed proved to be a boon to her. Kara launched herself forward and found where the rings had been located. Kara flew in front of them and held them up. She released them from the Phantom Zone.

"I would not have blamed you if you left me here," Alura said.

"Zod manipulated you under false pretenses," Kara said. "I understand."

"It's more than I deserve," Alura said. "And it wasn't what I was talking about. It was the fact I lied to you for all of these years about the true identity of your father and….."

"Mother, do you think we can discuss this after we're safely out of the Phantom Zone?" Kara asked. "After the danger of being ripped apart by dangerous Phantoms has passed, maybe?"

Alura took a second to blink and nod. She thought this was a good idea to be perfectly honest.

Speaking of which, here they came for them.

"Kara, Claire, Karen, head to the portal!" Alia yelled. "We'll cover you!"

Kara's mouth opened up in protest. She realized there was no time for them to protest. Karen and Claire gripped her elbows and pulled her back several feet. They made a mad scramble to the portals.

* * *

Zod turned up with his Elite Guard in the Arctic. The Earth troops put up a valiant fight and would continue to put up a valiant fight. His invading forces had other things to take care of.

"Once I control Jor-El's legacy, all of Earth will kneel before Zod."

"Kind of hard to kneel for a man who is in pieces."

Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, and the Flash were among the first to show up to show the General and his army some respect.

"Well, an Amazon, a speedster, and a winged vermin who had her wings clipped," Zod said. "I have to say, I'm not really impressed with what Earth's heroes have been reduced to. Then again, without Superwoman you're…."

One of Zod's men received an arrow to the back. Normally the arrow would have not been much of a problem. The only difference between this arrow and a standard arrow was the Kryptonite head on it.

Artemis drew back her bow and tried to take a shot at Zod to end this. Zod evaded the attack from the arrow. Zod's heat vision caught the bow and incinerated it.

"A lucky shot may work once," Zod said. "Not it mattered, but you should have taken your shot where it counted."

Zod tried to rush over towards archer in an attempt to take her out. Wonder Woman flipped in front of the General and started to engage him in battle.

"You wish to go toe to toe with me, Amazon."

Zod was getting stronger. Diana knew she would need to take him down soon. She grabbed Zod around the waist and launched him backwards onto the back of his head with a vicious suplex. The General rolled over to his feet. He stood with a pained expression and cracked his neck.

"A very good shot," General Zod said when he twisted his neck. "How about you take one of my own?"

General Zod charged forward and wrapped his hand around Diana's throat. Diana gasped with the intense grip of one General Zod wrapped around her throat. The Amazon Princess struggled to break free from her adversary. Zod had her by the throat and was unwilling to let go no matter the circumstances.

The Flash charged in and side-swiped Zod. Zod let go of her and turned around.

"You're going to have to catch me!" the Flash yelled. "And Superwoman couldn't catch me!"

"You're Superwoman is trapped in the Phantom Zone," Zod said.

Zod rushed towards the Flash. The Flash evaded Zod's attack and moved out of the way. She nailed Zod with a series of stinging punches. These punches only served to anger Zod and cause him to turn around to grab the Flash around the throat. The Flash slid back a couple of inches.

"Come on, again!" Flash yelled.

Diana returned to battle and nailed Zod with a kick to the back of the head. Flash picked up one of the Kryptonite arrows and tried to run it into Zod.

Zod reached forward and grabbed Flash around the wrist and lifted her off of the ground. The speedster barely vibrated from Zod's grip. Zod nailed her with a rapid fire punch to the stomach and doubled her over.

"Not fast enough!"

The General motioned for his army. All of them landed down on the ground and formed a shield between General Zod and the Justice League.

"I want you to take them and crush them!" Zod yelled. "I'll secure the Fortress….."

One of the members of Zod's army had been taken down with a bullet to the side of the neck. A helicopter dropped down to the ground.

"Okay, you want to invade this planet!" Harley yelled. "I don't think so, buddy! All of my favorite places in the world are….on this world."

The statement made a fair bit more sense in Harley's head. Most things she said made a far bit more sense in her head to be fair. Harley pulled back the trigger on the gun and launched the energy blast. Two of the Phantoms had been drilled and gave a blood curdling scream when they had been nailed full on.

"Yeah, that's what you get!" Harley cheered with an epic fist pump. "I've got plenty more of that where this came from!"

Harley clicked back the cannon and started to fire. The weapons did work on Kryptonians just like the big bad wall said. It just didn't work well enough because they came back for more.

Plastique came from behind one of the Zoners and charged her body. The zoner meant a rather explosive ending.

Captain Boomerang stood face to face with one of the Phantom Zone goons. The good Captain held a boomerang with an miniature explosive device attached to it. He reared his hand back and threw it with an immense force. The boomerang sored through the air. The Phantom Zone fugitive crouched down to duck the boomerang before it connected with the back of his head.

"Ha, you missed!"

The Phantom Zone enemy received a boomerang on the back end and the device went off to encase him in a sticky substance which prevented him from receiving any more Red Sun.

"You must be new if you don't know how a blinking bloody boomerang works!" Captain Boomerang said.

Flash dragged herself to a standing position.

"Good to see you back," Captain Boomerang said conversationally. "We have some unfinished business to take care of when the dust settles."

"Let's take out the alien invaders first," The Flash said.

"Good plan," Captain Boomerang said.

"This is complete madness!" Livewire yelled. She blasted one of the Phantom Zone members who was going after Hawkgirl. "I can't believe I'm saving a member of the Justice League. What has been life come too?"

Hawkgirl swung her mace and nailed one of the Phantom Zone members with a cracking attack. The Phantom Zone goon flew back a few feet.

"Look, I can't believe I just saved some shrill obnoxious shock jock," Hawkgirl said. "What is my life coming too lately?"

Hawkgirl turned around and started to lay the smack down on them with vicious mace swings. The magical properties of the mace damaged Kryptonian and other alien races about as much as anyone else. They were vulnerable as pretty much anyone else.

* * *

Alexa had pretty much all of the weapon systems back on line. She was about ready to blast some Phantoms coming through. The Phantoms had been drawn back into the Phantom Zone.

True to form another problem presented itself the second the portals had been sealed shut. Alexa couldn't really figure out what it was though. She had been trying with her might to reestablish communications with Earth. It just wasn't getting through at all.

"Error, communication tower not aligned, please try again later," the computer said.

"Yes, I know the communication tower is not aligned," Alexa said. She clutched her hand around a glass and crushed it. "Do you think you can find something which can align us to communications?"

A pregnant pause followed. Alexa shifted back against the chair and started to breath heavily. The unsettling feeling grew with each passing moment especially considering she had been trapped up there.

' _No recourse, no way out, and no way to know if it's safe to return to Earth.'_

"One moment please."

Alexa thought about kicking her feet back.

' _I really wish I had brought a book.'_

The state of the art computer put on the satellite could be rather through, even though there were some rather frustrating drawbacks. Alexa continued to drum her fingers.

' _I really, really, wish I had brought a book up here.'_

A loud buzzing sound entered the consciousness of one Alexa Luthor. She stood up, dare she hope for anyone to get through? Was it too much to hope for?

"Checkmate to White Knight One?" the garbled voice asked.

"Tess?" Alexa asked.

"Oh, good, we finally got through, I was so worried," Tess said. The sound in the woman's voice sounded like someone who was about to fret and big time.

Alexa could hear her crystal clear communication.

"We don't have much time," Alexa said. "I'm not sure how long we're going to have communications before this tower gets knocked back out of line. So, please tell me what you need to tell me now."

"Right," Tess said. She paused for a second to draw in her breath. "Zod and his men arrived from the Phantom Zone. Both the Justice League and the Suicide Squad are fighting them in the Arctic."

Alexa only raised her eyebrow for a second. The League and the Suicide Squad joining forces? It was a brave new world after all. Only the end of the world could unite these two sides with each other.

"Zod is close to getting the Fortress, isn't he?" Alexa asked.

"Yes, he's pretty close," Tess said. "Why, do you have a plan?"

"Lex apparently did."

Alexa noticed one particular weapon pointed towards the Fortress. It was a weapon which packed a punch and would allow her to do what they needed to be done.

A small part of Alexa hesitated before she pulled the trigger. She hit it and the Fortress would be eliminated.

' _Sacrifices have to be made.'_

This was a lesson she remembered from Lex which would given to him by the ultimate Chessmaster himself, Lionel Luthor.

This would only stop them from getting the Phantom Zone. Alexa wished the red solar shield had been finished. This wasn't finished before Lex had met his sticky end at the hands of Superwoman.

' _Here goes nothing.'_

Alexa reached in and pushed a button. The energy cannon fired up with a loud hum.

* * *

Zod turned up outside of the Fortress of Solitude.

"Yes, the legacy of Jor-El!" Zod yelled. "It will be used to destroy the planet which she has adopted and sworn to protect. I cannot think of a more fitting use for it."

Zod tried to force his way through the Fortress.

"Access denied!"

Zod's face contorted into an angry expression. He held his hands up. The battle continued with the heroes of Earth against his troops. He needed the Fortress to conclude his plans.

"You dare deny me?" Zod asked. "You dare deny the conscious of Krypton? You dare….."

Zod heard something come from the distance. The General used his quick reflexes to pull himself out of the way.

A high tech space laser flew through the sky and connected with the side of the Fortress of Solitude. The impact shattered the Fortress in one swift shot.

Zod watched as his ambitions had been shattered before his eyes. The crystal fragments flickered in the side of Zod's eyes. Someone actually destroyed the Fortress before he could use it.

"NO!" Zod yelled. "NO!"

Out of the portal flew Superwoman to make Zod's day all this much worse. The Woman of Steel drove her fist into Zod's face and knocked him back several feet.

Zod dropped down to his knees before Supewoman. The General blocked her fist and pushed her back several feet.

"You've improved."

Superwoman blocked the martial arts strike from Zod. She pushed him back with an immense and bone shattering force. The General staggered back a couple of inches with a slight wince. Superwoman launched herself into the air. Zod avoided her attack.

Zod came back with a huge roundhouse kick to nail her in the face. A second roundhouse kick nailed her in the ribs and doubled her over. Zod grabbed Superwoman's hair and slammed her back against the ice wall leading towards what was once the Fortress.

"And yet, you still have a lot to learn!"

"And you should know I never go into a fight alone!"

Zod looked up in the sky and Supergirl came down on top of his head. She drilled her feet into the top of his head. The General flew up to engage Supergirl.

"I've had more power than you!" Zod yelled. "You will learn to respect me. I am your father. We should be working together!"

Zod's words grinded into Kara's head. The General fired a blast of heat vision. Kara dodged the heat vision. Several other members of Zod's army appeared to form a shield about them.

"Take them down," Zod said. "I'll destroy the arrogant human who did this."

Power Girl came beside Supergirl. Superwoman joined them off to the side. The three Kryptonians flew face to face with some of Zod's elite guard.

"So, do you think the others are going to make it out?" Superwoman asked.

"We have bigger problems to worry about."

Kara thought that much was for sure. The Arctic looked like a warzone and everything was about ready to get more dangerous from here.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on June 14** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _So, we get out of the Phantom Zone, and chaos is on the Earth._

 _Well that's an interesting plan. Destroy the Fortress so the invaders can't use its resource._

 _The Suicide Squad and the Justice League working together hand in hand. And much fun is had by all._

 _Until Tuesday._


	77. Chapter 77

_Chapter of the Week Voting At the Blog as Usual. Vote for your three favorites here.  
_

* * *

 **Chapter Seventy-Seven: Against the World Part Two.**

* * *

Zod tore off into the air after his adversary. He would not only find what he was looking for, but it would be ripped in half and destroyed. His fortress had been destroyed and this caused him outrage. So many of his plans for Earth hinged on the Fortress, and now he would have to regroup back to square one. The General's rage hit an immense fever pitch, one which he could barely hold himself together about.

Several moments passed before the General calmed himself down. He wouldn't get angry, not completely. The person who caused him this inconvenience though, they would pay. Zod passed the atmosphere of Earth energized by the planets healing rays. He continued to fly higher than high in an attempt to locate what he needed. The General sped up and searched for his target.

"You can run," Zod said. "However, you cannot hide."

Zod could tell this person partially cloaked this device from any detection. It may have escaped the detection of normal eyes and normal searching. Zod's military training proved to be an excellent asset. His hands reached out and grabbed through the air.

Several orbs appeared in front of him. Zod surveyed them with a scowl on his face. The orbs fired lasers. One of them struck Zod and caused him injury. He scowled even deeper and lashed out, grabbing one of the orbs in his sizeable hands.

The orb crushed in the hands of Zod. Sparks flew in every direction the moment Zod's hands crushed the orb. The other orbs meant the same fate. One or two of them fired some shots off at Zod. He annihilated them along with everything else in his way all the same.

"This is futile!" Zod yelled. "Come and face me….."

Another set of orbs shot at Zod. They launched an array of lasers at the General. The General punched through one of the orbs and knocked it out of orbit. Another series of punches rocked the orbs like they were nothing. The General was becoming slowly, but surely incensed at what was going on around him.

"You fight me with cheap tricks," Zod said. "Now, I have you."

Zod's triumph flicked through his eyes. He located the orbiting satellite and he would have it. The General rushed closer towards it and bombarded the side of it. It started to flicker to life. The shields started to wrap around the ship. Zod reared back his hand one more time and smashed it into the ship. A loud crack could be heard from Zod's assaults.

The continued pounding on the ship prompted Zod to get more frustrated. The ships cannons popped up and fired some green energy towards Zod which he dodged. His heat vision burned through the ship's defenses.

"I know you're in there!" Zod bellowed at the top of his lungs. "Every second you're in there, my patience wanes even more!"

Zod plunged his fist through the space station and ripped his way inside. He tore it apart piece by piece. Sadistic glee flickered through Zod's eyes when he spent some time tearing apart the Space Station. He searched every inch of the Space Station for the person involved. Only, he didn't find the person responsible for the utter and total destruction of his Fortress of Solitude.

"Did you really think I would have stayed around and allowed you to rip me apart? Give me more credit than that."

Zod turned around and experienced a super powerful blunt force attack against his chest. The General spiraled back and smacked against one of the pieces of debris floating in space.

The General turned around, practically snarling in the process. He came face to face with a woman with red hair and glowing blue eyes. She dressed in an absurd purple and green body armor suit.

Absurd or not, the suit allowed her to fly to the other side of Zod.

' _Okay, Lex, I won't even pretend to know what you were thinking when you built this suit,'_ Alexa thought. She paused and thought about it with a smile. _'Actually, I do know what you were thinking. You actually thought this suit was a good idea.'_

Alexa thought there were a couple of good features in the suit. She would be lying if the energy ray wasn't a pretty good touch. The ray shot out of the side of the suit and plowed Zod in the chest. The General's howling agony was only stopped by the fact he tried to nail her with a super sonic punch.

Without the suit, Alexa was pretty squishy indeed. Stronger than the average woman out there, but still pretty squish. In a fair fight, Zod would take her down.

She was a Luthor though, they used every advantage possible. One of them was seeing of the same laser which destroyed the Fortress was still powered up.

' _This would be a lot simpler if he didn't destroy the satellite,'_ Alexa thought. _'And the computer is not responding.'_

Alexa could see not only was the computer not responding, but Zod flew straight towards her like a bolt of energy.

' _Let's see if I can get him to chase me,'_ Alexa thought.

Alexa bolted back in the other direction, accelerating the suit. She continued to fly as fast as she could. Her heart began to race as hard as possible.

Zod followed her, eyes flaring with thinly veiled obsession. Alexa managed to lead Zod on the run as far in the other direction as possible. The woman's blood started to pump the more she flew off into one distinct direction.

' _Okay, keep flying, if he rips this suit off, you're done.'_

* * *

Faora appeared back on Earth and landed about as gracefully as she could. One of Zod's army appeared in front of her.

"You dare betray the General!" one of the army members yelled.

"The General has lost the plot, and lost any amount of cunning he's ever had," Faora said. "So, it's within the best interest of my sanity if I betray him."

This particular individual launched himself high into the air and tried to punch Faora out. Faora stepped to the side and allowed him to punch the ground. She flipped into the air, extended a hand, and nailed her adversary into the side of the neck with a palm thrust. The head of her enemy whipped back and he fell straight down to the ground.

Faora turned around and blocked the attack from another one of her enemies. She used the enemy as a battering ram before taking out two members of the General's army.

The oldest daughter of Zod, named after his first love, dropped down beside Karen. Karen used her ice breath to back them off. The only problem was they had super powers as well.

"So, Alia and Alura weren't with you?" Karen asked.

"Alia didn't give me much choice in the matter," Faora said. "She….."

One of the General's goons snuck up from behind Faora. Faora spun herself around three hundred and sixty degrees before hitting her enemy as hard as possible with a huge punch. The punch made this particular enemy crumple like a can. Faora returned to the conversation as if nothing off-kilter had happened.

"She shoved me through the portal. Naturally, we will have to have words about this. Providing of course, we survive this."

Faora had some doubts about survival, but she pushed them away.

Claire launched herself high into the air. The General's army flew up to meet her. They charged her one at a time.

' _Typical mistake.'_

Claire allowed her adversaries to keep coming at her one at a time. She was ready to handle everything they had for her. One of them tried to nail her with a huge punch to the side of the head. Claire dodged the attack and grabbed him. The arm twisted around and Claire punched one of the goons in the back of the neck.

The goon flew head over heels and shot through the air. The cork motion made from the Phantom Zone adversary prompted the other members of the Zone army to scatter and avoid being knocked over in mid air.

Kara launched high into the air, grabbed one of the Zoners around the head. The Girl of Steel brought her enemy down face first onto the ground with a pinpoint motion.

Claire raised her eyebrow and looked down at Kara.

"What, I can't let you have all the fun, can you?" Kara asked.

The Girl of Steel looked over and could see Livewire backed off. Livewire nailed one of the Phantom Zone prisoners with a jolt of lightning. The energy flowed through her hand and nailed the enemy point blank in the chest.

"Okay, you want some, you come get some!" Livewire yelled. "Look at me, I have everything you ever wanted! So come at me! I'm not afraid of…."

Livewire's trash talking proved to be her undoing. One of the Phantoms raised a glowing bone spine above his head. The intention to maim was obvious.

Supergirl launched herself at the Phantom Zone and nailed him with a vicious spear to the chest. The Zone enemy landed down onto the ground.

"I can't believe I have to save you," Supergirl said.

"Oh, I can't believe I had to get saved by you," Livewire grumbled.

"Hey, will you two get a room later?"

Harley swung a mallet made of Kryptonite at the fugitives.

"Okay most certainly a Kryptonian," Harley said, the moment the mallet struck it in the chest and burned it. Harley pulled back the mallet and slammed it against the head. "Not a Kryptonian, but it still hurt."

Hawkgirl smashed the mace across the back of the head one of them. The fugitive from the Phantom Zone dropped to the ground in a crumpled heap of blood and bones. Harley turned to Shayera and gave a thumbs up.

"Hey, I like your style, bird girl."

Kara viewed a heated battle between Non and Diana off to one side. Unfortunately, she couldn't watch it for too long. There were more pressing concerns which entered her mind.

"Chloe?" Kara asked.

"Yes, I'm still here," Chloe said.

"Do you have any idea where Zod might be hanging out?" Kara asked.

The sound of furious typing caused Kara to stand up straight. The hairs stood up firmly on the back of her neck. This really was one of those situations where it was do or die.

"He's dropped….."

"I do," Tess said, breaking into the frequency.

Normally, Chloe would have been agitated someone broke through her frequency. Technically it was Helena's frequency, and this fact spoke rather well for Tess she was able to do this. Why bother to split hairs though?

"Yes?" Kara asked.

"She's busy being chased halfway across the planet by Zod," Tess said. "Apparently she has a plan."

Kara frowned. Given Alexa's apparent plan involved blowing up the Fortress last time, she wasn't sure if she liked this one.

Claire dropped down to Kara's side. Kara had no time to waste looking at her cousin.

"We better go," Kara said.

These Zoners were getting pounded big time without their General. The two super powered cousins needed to focus themselves on the bigger prize at hand. They needed to round up Zod and bring him down. Time was running out.

* * *

Alexa launched herself as far away from Zod as possible. The General continued to trail her far behind. The suit started to sputter the more Alexa tried to push it far and away from this entire situation.

' _Come on, don't fail me,'_ Alexa thought. _'You better not fail me, I swear if you fail me….'_

The suit started to sputter. Alexa pushed the suit beyond its own potential and continued to fly through the air. Zod continued to chase her. This was a game between which one of them could outrun the other.

Unfortunately, for Alexa, this was a game she was about ready to lose. Zod smashed her down onto the ground. She was falling and the suit fell down with her.

Both of them smashed down onto the ground. Zod lifted Alexa up and threw her halfway across the valley they landed in. She continued to roll and smash. Sparks flew from the suit from where Zod had launched her. The General rushed up towards her and punted her in the side of the chest. Alexa slumped over and Zod grabbed her by the hair. He yanked her up to a standing position.

"A half-human, half-Kryptonian hybrid," Zod practically spat. "Why would such an abomination even exist?"

Alexa tried to activate anything, the emergency protocols on the suit which would cause an explosion of Kryptonite energy which should harm Zod. It could also mean her own end due to radiation poison. Or at least the loss of her hair.

This attempt to break free ended up being a no good. Zod grabbed the chest plate on the suit and started to tear at it. Sparks flew in every direction.

A blur shot from one side and slammed into the General's shoulder. The General staggered back a couple of inches and turned his attention to the person who attacked him. The man's lips curled into a fairly malicious grin when he stared her down.

"The Daughter of Jor-El," Zod said. "I had wondered when you would have the nerve to attack me."

"I'm going to finish you off Zod," Claire said. "You will never bring harm to Earth again."

The General took a moment to regard Claire and chuckled.

"This doesn't have to happen this way," Zod said. "You can rule with me, you and my daughters, and Alura. We can rebuilt what is lost. Krypton can thrive once again. The Fortress may be destroyed, but you know enough where you can rebuild it."

"If Krypton is reborn, we're living a lie," Claire said. "My home is Earth now."

"A goddess dumbing herself down for the humans?" Zod asked. "Pathetic."

Claire knew what was going to happen next.

"Very well, regardless of what your stance is, you will kneel before Z…."

He never finished his statement for Claire nailed him in the throat as hard with maximum force. The General slumped down onto the ground, breathing heavily.

"You da…."

Claire kicked him in the face hard, and grabbed Zod, before launching both of them into the air. The two Kryptonians turned into a super nova when they launched high into the air.

Zod broke Claire free from him and started to punch away from her. The General plowed Claire down onto the ground.

A series of rapid fire punches rocked Claire. They nailed her in the face, the chest, and pretty much every other place.

"You could have been great!" Zod yelled, grabbing her cape and flinging her across. Claire slammed face first into several rocks. "You could have been something…but you've chosen to be just like your father, ignorant to the future!"

Zod jumped on top of Claire and wrapped his hands around her throat. Claire struggled to break free when Zod pounded her head first into the ground repeatedly. Claire's head created a miniature hole in the ground.

"You've chosen….."

A super intense blast of heat vision knocked Zod back several feet. The General rotated around in time to see Kara flying at him at the speed of light.

She punched him hard in the face. The punch resounded across the sky with a sadistic crack. Kara reared back and tried to attack Zod once again. Zod grabbed her arm and turned her around.

"I see you won't follow me willingly," Zod said. "You're stubborn and spirited just like her mother. But I managed to persuade her to do what was necessariy….."

"JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!"

Kara launched Zod high into the air. He came back at her. Kara dodged Zod's attack and avoided each and every one of the punches from him.

Claire returned fire and nailed Zod with a rapid fire punch. The punch caused Zod to slump over with Claire throwing pretty much everything she had into one distinct attack on Zod.

The two of them combined proved to be a dangerous force and one which put Zod on the ropes. He didn't go down for the count though.

* * *

Alia thought one of her worst habits was the ability to be late to any party. She turned up and could see several of the Phantoms disappearing around her. Alura managed to draw the unruly party guests back into the Phantom Zone.

The Daughter of Zod smiled, her plan would work out well. She approached the battle. Supergirl and Superwoman went at it with General Zod.

Alia raised her hand and an energy field appeared around Superwoman and Supergirl. Both of them landed down onto the ground with a hard smash.

"What…I knew it!" Kara yelled.

Alia smiled when she approached Zod. Zod turned towards Alia with a smile.

"I am happy to see one of my children is loyal to me," Zod said. "We will crush the people of Earth together."

"Yes," Alia said. "And I've brought you a present."

Zod raised his eyebrow for a second. He would crush Claire, Kara, and the hybrid in a moment. A gift from his child was a boon indeed.

"What have you brought for me, Alia?" Zod asked.

"I lifted this particular item from Alura's lab," Alia said. "When you open it up, it will transport all of the people of Earth off of it, leaving the planet ready for your conquest. Krypton will rise again."

Zod's lips curled with a smile. It would rise again for certain.

"Alia, no, you can't do this!" Claire yelled.

"I know exactly what I'm doing, Clara," Alia said, with a shadow of a smile across her face. "Everything I do is to protect this planet and everything I do is for a greater purpose."

Kara tried to struggle to escape. Zod opened the orb to send them into the Phantom Zone.

"Today is the day where humanity perishes!"

Zod clicked open the orb and it started to glow. The orb slid open to reveal several jagged fragments. Golden Kryptonite appeared and began to infect Zod.

Alia, Kara, and Claire were all immune to the radiation effects of Gold Kryptonite. Zod, however, was not immune from the radiation effects. He recoiled in absolute agony.

"What did you do?" Zod asked. His eyes flared with complete and utter rage. "What have you done?"

"What did you think I've done?" Alia asked.

Alia grabbed Zod around the throat and hurled him down to the ground.

"You betrayed me, just like everyone else did!" Zod yelled. "Just like Jor-El did when he sentenced me to the Phantom Zone. Even though I could have saved Krypton…"

Kara and Claire had been released. Claire flew over first and nailed Zod in the face. Her fist buried into Zod's face and caused him to crumple in agony.

"You weren't Krypton's savior," Claire said. "You were its destroyer."

"You should not…"

"And you're the one kneeling before me!"

Claire rammed her elbow down onto the shoulder of Zod. The General's knees crumpled out from underneath him and forced him down onto the ground. The impulse action and the reflex caused Zod's look of rage.

"Mark my words, there's one day…"

"I don't think you fully understand what the Gold Kryptonite does," Alia said. "Let me spell it out for you. The dose you took would make you weaker than the average human. Something I'm certain you would find pathetic."

Zod tried to pull himself up. He only just had the strength to pull himself up before dropping down to the ground. The General's breathing turned more labored and more frustrated as well.

"I will not forget this," Zod said. "I will avenge my humiliation."

Alura joined the party. Kara turned in time to see what her mother was doing. She held a purple crystal in her hand.

"You will have plenty of time to come up with your next failure of a plan, Zod," Alura said. "For now, you're going to find your way back to the Phantom Zone."

Zod tried to pull out a dagger and turn it on himself. He would rather die than be sentenced back to the Phantom Zone.

Alia's super-fast reflexes prevented her father from stabbing the dagger into himself. Zod growled in agony.

"Don't worry, Father, there's one family member you haven't been reunited with just yet. And he'll kill to meet you."

The flash of light appeared and the depowered General Zod disappeared into a bright light, to join the rest of his army in the Phantom Zone.

* * *

Lois Lane looked up into the sky. Metropolis was pretty ravaged from the invasion. The entire city was full of survivors and they would find a way to get back on their feet. And likely most of them would be at each other's throats.

Much to her agitation, Lois missed a hell of a battle in the Arctic involving the Suicide Squad and the Justice League teaming up against the Phantom Zone invaders.

' _Guess you snooze, you lose, Ms. Lane.'_

Lois noticed someone standing off into the distance. She didn't get the fanfare she would if this particular individual dressed in her more famous costume identity, but Lois caught her.

Claire talked to Diana. Diana dressed in the classic blue blouse, jacket, and skirt combination, with her hair clipped back and wearing glasses. Lois would have to say Diana had a particularly alluring naughty librarian vibe going off.

Lois didn't have a chance to speak to Claire after she came back to life. Now she had her chance and Lois's nerves were starting to act up. This wasn't like her at all and Lois wondered what she could say. What could happen? The dark haired reporter brushed her hair from her face.

' _Don't worry, Lois, you can do this, you can most certainly do this.'_

Lois went over how she would have this conversation with Claire a lot of times. The reporter stepped forward and almost ran directly into Claire's back.

The dark haired reporter did this in an accidental way. Claire turned around to see who bumped into her. Claire frowned the second when she came face to face with one Lois Lane.

"Oh, hey, Lois," Claire said.

"Smallville," Lois said. "Long time no see….I don't think I've talked to you since you came back from your….extended holiday."

Both of them knew "extended holiday" was code word for Claire's death and resurrection. Which Claire did see as a holiday, because she came back refreshed and ready to go, along with a bunch of new problems.

"So, I think the two of us need to talk, don't we?" Claire asked.

"Yes, pretty much," Lois said, mouth cracking into a smile. "So?"

"We'll handle the cleanup," Diana said.

Claire's one and only excuse had been removed from the back of her throat. Not she was going to use it, being the stand up type woman she was. She turned towards Lois who smiled at her.

"This isn't going to get awkward, is it?" Lois asked.

Kara joined them. She could see this little reunion going extremely bad or extremely good.

* * *

The Phantom Zone's red mist swirled around Zod. The General realized what area he had been sent to. He had been sent somewhere else away from his army.

The General slumped over. The injuries he suffered in the battle against Supergirl and Superwoman wrecked him in battle.

A loud roar caused Zod to become alert. He searched for a weapon, only realizing his daughter took away his one knife which he could use to defend himself. This left him vulnerable.

The Zod would not fight this battle on his knees. He would fight it straight on his feet.

"Show yourself!"

Doomsday appeared from the shadows. Zod raised his hand.

"I command you to stand down, monster!" Zod yelled. "I created you….."

Doomsday responded with a growl and grabbed Zod around the throat. The General lifted off of the ground and squirmed underneath the grip of his wayward son.

General Zod went limp in the grip of Doomsday, the air leaving his lungs.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on 6/17/2016.**

 _Well the conclusion for the battle of Zod is at hand, and….well that's a fitting fate for his end._

 _Lois and Claire in for a long overdue reunion, and there's a lot of trouble._

 _Until Friday._


	78. Chapter 78

**Chapter Seventy-Eight: Uncertain Times We Live In.**

* * *

The day after always proved to be a pivotal moment following every battle. The people involved did their best to pull themselves back together, to see what needed to be done. They reflected within themselves and tried to think about what needed to be done next time. No doubt there had been mistakes made, the people involved just hoped deep down it would not cost them enough.

Helena Wayne always spent a lot of the time obsessively going over the footage of any battle afterwards. She always found something wrong during each and every battle. The footage from the Arctic, with the League fighting against the Suicide Squad played over and over again on an infinite loop. Helena watched every single second of the footage and a deep frown appeared over her face.

"There are some days where I think you're too critical of yourself."

Diana showed up at Helena's shoulder. Helena's head snapped around so fast the poor woman almost gave herself whiplash. She rose to her feet to properly face Diana. She was not only. Zatanna and Shayera followed her to face Diana.

"Someone has to be critical about this entire mission," Helena said. "The League hasn't missed a step."

Every one of them raised an eyebrow. Zatanna was inches away for raising her hand and placing it on top of the forehead of her friend.

"Don't mistake this though," Helena said. "Just because the League has not missed a step, it doesn't mean we don't have a long way to go. And it doesn't mean we were anything, but really fortunate regarding what happened."

Zatanna allowed a sigh to escape the back of her throat. This sounded more like the Helena Wayne she knew and took to heart. The dark haired sorceress's lips cured into a smile.

"Hey, no members of the League, we didn't lose any of them this time," Zatanna said. "I don't know about you, but I'd consider that one a win in my book."

One look from Helena showed Zatanna she considered this particular point. There was something which held her back from considering it the entire way.

"Helena, we beat the invasion," Zatanna said.

"We helped hold back the invasion," Helena corrected her.

"You know, you're really splitting hairs," Shayera said. "Then again, your father used to do the same thing."

This particular statement from Shayera caused Helena to snap out of her thoughts. She rose to her feet and turned around. Helena walked across the room, arms swinging. The woman appeared to have found herself deep in thought, or deeper than anyone could have gone.

"The League is now officially back in business though, isn't it?" Zatanna asked.

"Well, we can't speak for Claire," Diana said. "I do think though with her back, the heart has returned to the League."

Helena turned around and faced the three women. The rest of the League members should be joining them in a matter of moments, although Helena could see why they couldn't. All of them rested up some really horrific injuries which left them pretty banged on.

"Claire would be the first to tell her she isn't the thing which held the League up," Helena said. "And there was someone else who was putting the League back together before Claire even returned"

"Oh, I didn't….."

"I think with both of them here, we're in pretty good shape," Helena said. "That being said, we could be in better shape."

Shayera flashed a smile. She had to appreciate Helena a lot of the time. The woman always tried to find ways to better the people around her. Sometimes people grew frustrated with her. One really had to read Helena though to get where she was coming from.

"So, she's doing the critical thing, isn't she?"

The doors slid open which announced the arrival of Barbara Gordon. Barbara stepped into the picture carrying a cup of coffee. She leaned against the wall and took a long drink from the coffee cup. A thoughtful expression filled the face of the former Batgirl.

"I have to say, the coffee tastes pretty good," Barbara said, smiling when she looked off into the distance. "You should try some, it's pretty good for you."

"You know, I really could use a cup of coffee right about now," Shayera said.

"We should be afraid, shouldn't we?" Diana asked, barely holding back a smile in the process. "I remember the first time you discovered coffee…."

"No, it was only the first time I discovered coffee in this lifetime," Shayera said. "Although the results were always pretty mixed."

Diana thought pretty mixed might have been a generous statement regarding what exactly happened. She fired back what amounted to a pretty polite smile when she looked back at the winged warrior woman.

"Well, some of us can't function without it," Barbara said.

Helena turned herself around and returned back to the monitors. A lot of the people were on pins and needles these days, and there would be a lot of blowback from yet another alien invasion. The League needed a fair amount of help to stave off this particular threat. Helena most certainly worried about what would happen next.

"Here, I suppose you could use this."

Barbara slipped another cup of coffee down on the table. Helena turned around in her chair to look towards Barbara.

"Thanks."

* * *

Lois had gone over this particular situation in her mind at least a dozen times. Claire came back to life, and then escaped to the Phantom Zone. Lois didn't think she would see her again. Then invaders of the Phantom Zone hit, and Lois didn't know what was going to happen next. Only that it wouldn't have been favorable to be perfectly honest.

"So, how are you doing, Lois?" Claire asked.

To say, Lois pursed her lips in frustration, would be the understatement to end all understatements. Her hands flew over to her hips when she looked Claire dead on in the eye. Claire stepped back.

Kara opened the apartment door and escorted them both inside.

"How am I doing?" Lois asked. "We need to talk…"

"I know we do," Claire said. "My attitude wasn't exactly the best over the past year or so."

Lois responded with a snort. Claire made the understatement of the century.

"Oh, you think?" Lois asked. She raised her hand and almost poked Claire in the chest. Claire stepped back. "You lose your powers, and you act like your life is ended. Then you go off to God only knows where, and get trained. When you come back, you're an entirely different person, and then you throw yourself into a suicide mission against Doomsday. Key word being suicide, because that's what happens. You end up getting yourself killed, and then….and then….."

Lois almost collapsed in a fitful fit of sobs. She started to breathe in heavily, trying to calm herself down.

"Then you come back," Lois said, trying to hold back the worst part of her frustrations. "Then you come back, from the life somehow. Oh, look, the prodigal daughter returns. Then you go off into the Phantom Zone, and risk your life there, where I'm sure you almost die, again. Then you come back, and help stop the invasion. And then you want to pick up things just like the way they are!"

Lois slapped Claire across the face. This only resulted in a stinging hand. Lois stared down Claire with one of the most uncomfortable stares. Her eyes particularly blazed through Claire's.

Then, suddenly, without warning, Lois pushed her mouth over Claire's with an intense kiss. The two of them exchanged some heavy lip action. Claire stepped back from Lois after a moment.

"You and Kara….."

"Oh, I'm sure you enjoyed that show, didn't you, Claire?" Lois asked.

Claire's mouth hung open. She just wanted to check up on Lois to make sure she was okay.

"So, you were watching us having sex through the window, didn't you?" Lois asked. The dark haired woman's violet eyes locked on Claire's bright blue eyes. "Good, I hope you did and I hoped you ruined your panties by doing so."

Claire took a moment to gawk at Lois. She looked quite adorable when she was flustered, at least in Lois's opinion.

"As for me and Kara, yes, we're in a relationship," Lois said. "A mutual release type thing, just like Kara is in a relationship with a lot of the members of the League. Including my cousin, which I'm sure you'd be blind not to see. You know, Chloe, your best friend….even though you don't treat her like that sometimes."

Claire's head hung in shame.

"You've been dancing around the issue, Smallville," Lois said. "Kara is beautiful, and you talk in your sleep. Don't tell me you haven't had thoughts about her. I know it's a lie."

Claire closed her eyes. She did have some dreams about her cousin. Well not by blood, but the connection was still there. And while the laws were different in most of the galaxy, Claire had been brought up a certain way.

"Well, it's wrong…"

"Claire, don't be such a pussy," Lois said. "People should love whoever they want to love and damn what society thinks. If they don't like it, they could take a long leap off of a short pier."

Claire smiled. She had to give Lois some credit. She always had an amazing way with words. Sometimes those words got her in trouble. Lois wouldn't be Lois though if she didn't find a way to get herself into trouble.

"So, you hurt Kara a lot….."

"Lois, it isn't a big deal," Kara said. "Claire, I didn't…."

Claire grabbed Kara's hand. The two of them held hands and a spark flew between them.

"I did hurt you a lot," Claire said.

"And I did say some things which I didn't mean, but deep down I guess I did," Kara said. "And there's the thing about my father….."

"Well, I've learned a lot from my Earth parents," Claire said with a smile on her face. She pulled Kara closer towards her, to the point where they almost went face to face with each other. "And the one thing I've learned from them is you can't be defined about who your parents are or what they've done. Rather, you need to be defined by what you chose to be."

Claire pulled Kara into a comforting embrace.

"Zod might be your father, but you're better than him," Claire said. "He could have learned something from you, and chose not to. It was his mistake. You are everything you can be, Kara. Smart, beautiful, passionate, a true hero. I don't know where I'd be without you."

The two Kryptonians pressed together lip to lip. Their tongues started to swirl together, and their hands pawed at each other's bodies. Years of sexual frustration had been released in one fell moment.

Claire pulled back Kara's shirt to reveal her chest clad in a lacy red bra. She had a lot of apologizing to do, with both Kara and Lois, so it was about time for her to get started.

Lois smiled. She wasn't going to lie, make-up sex always tended to be pretty satisfying. She slipped her panties down underneath her skirt and prepared to enjoy a show.

* * *

The Arctic Chill blew out around the team who made their way outside. Alura joined Kara and Claire when they walked over the terrain.

"Thank you, Kara," Alura said. "I'm surprised you want to talk to me after all I've done, and all of the lies I've told you."

Kara thought about that for a long time. In many respects, she was a bit miffed of her mother. In another time in her development, she would have taken the fact her father was a genocidal social path the wrong way. It would have caused her to freeze up.

These days though, Kara thought she had turned a lot more grounded, a fair bit more mature, and insightful. Not everything could be her fault. She just had to go with the flow sometimes and see where life took her.

"Mother, I understand the situation you put yourself in, and at one time, Zod wasn't the bent man he is today," Kara said.

"He was a good friend and a respected colleague," Alura said. "I helped him with Alia's creation as well….which given the tension between you two, this might be another point against him."

"You were Alia's mother as well?" Kara asked.

"No, not exactly, although my research contributed to the experiment which created her," Alura said. "Zod left the crystal containing her in a cave to impregnate an Earth woman. What happened to Alia's birth mother, I don't have the slightest idea though."

Kara would try and peace together the mystery which was Alia Dru-Zod at another time, when her mind was a fair amount clearer. Right now, they had to focus on something.

"Alexa made our lives a lot less easy with her little stunt," Kara said. "I really wish her blowing up the Fortress wasn't the only option."

Claire only nodded. Kara could already tell there was something on Claire's mind. She placed a hand on Claire's shoulder which caused her to jolt back a half of a step.

"I'm just trying to process a lot of things," Claire admitted. "Like the fact I have a daughter…sort of…with Lex Luthor."

This particular fact raised a lot of implications Claire didn't want to think of. Kara tightened her grip on Claire's shoulder and forced her to turn around.

"I know, but she's making the best effort to do good I the world," Kara said. "If it makes you feel any better, I think she's about as disturbed with the implications. And she was an attempt to give Lex a vessel if something happened."

Claire thought Lex's obsession knew now bounds.

"If we find the main console crystal, we can rebuild the Fortress," Alura said. "Although why you built it in such a dismal location is a mystery to me."

"Jor-El's idea," Kara and Claire said in response.

Alura smiled, well this explained it. She valued Jor-El as a respected colleague, but there were times where the man did things which lacked all degree of common sense.

Something shined out of the Arctic snow. Kara gasped when she heard it. It had a spark of light.

"Look, there it is!"

Alura and Claire caught sight of the crystal poking out of the Arctic. They casually stepped over several other crystal fragments. Their enhanced vision got a full look at the enhanced crystal. This had been buried deep in the snow though, the main one, the main crystal. The green crystal stuck halfway out underneath the snow.

"Lara?" Alura asked.

"Hello?" the voice echoed from within the crystal. "Alura, is that you?"

"Yes, Lara, it's me," Alura said.

"You're alive, I thought…"

Lara sounded pretty weak. She was still mostly intact, but it would take some time to empower her and rebuild the Fortress.

"Yes, Lara, I'm alive, I was trapped in the Phantom Zone," Alura said. "It's a long story, but conserve your energy. We'll get you rebuilt, someway, and somehow."

Alura clutched the crystal in her hand. A spark flew out of the back of the crystal and Alura responded with a sigh. They had their work cut out for them for sure.

"So, it's your Fortress," Alura said to Claire. "What do you want to do? Do you want to keep it here, or move it elsewhere?"

"Everyone who is everyone knows the Fortress is here in the Arctic," Claire said. "This might be the perfect chance to move it."

Kara snapped her fingers in response and broke out into a smile.

"I have an idea."

"Believe me, Kara, I'm all ears."

* * *

Martha Kent walked up the driveway to the recently rebuilt farm house. Six months passed since Doomsday blew through Smallville. A nice grant from the Wayne Foundation allowed many of the people in town, herself included, to rebuild from the ashes. Martha thought the farm house looked about as good as new.

Jonathan's old tractor had been recovered as well. The damn thing never worked half of the time. Martha only kept it around as a monument out of respect for her late husband.

A car pulled up the driveway. Martha turned around and she looked on in surprise. Kara came out of the car, but she was not alone.

Claire stepped out of the car with a nervous smile on her face. Nervous for all of the right reasons, and Martha stepped back looking at her.

"Kara, it's good to see you," Martha said.

"Martha, it's good to see you as well," Kara said. "I brought someone along, I think you two have a lot of catching up to do."

"Hello, Mom," Claire said.

Claire took half of a step forward and wrapped her arms around Martha. There was a second of stiffness.

"Hello, Claire," Martha said, returning the hug after a moment. She pulled back after a moment. "It's nice to see you've come by for a visit."

Claire thought she deserved the coolness on Martha Kent's voice, and it hit her harder than anything else exactly how much what she did hurt her mother.

"Mom, I think the two of us need to talk," Claire said.

"Yes," Martha said. "I think we should…and we should do it inside. There's a storm coming."

A loud thunder clap echoed off in the background. Kara and Claire stepped in the house behind Martha. Martha turned around and walked towards the window.

"I…well, I'm sorry for what happened, and how I acted," Claire said. "I've failed a lot of people, Kara, the League, and most importantly I failed you and Pa. He would be ashamed of me."

Martha turned around and kept making sandwiches.

"I think some of his stubbornness may have rubbed off on you," Martha said. She put the sandwiches down on the table in front of the two of them. "The way you acted…"

"It was unacceptable, I know," Claire said.

Her mother rarely got mad. This actually made Claire extremely nervous to see her mother like this. The tranquil fury was there, Martha didn't scream or yell, but she gave Claire a look which told her she had messed up big time.

Kara shifted a little bit in the chair next to her. She reached over and placed her hand on Claire's shoulder.

"And you know, it shouldn't have taken me dying and coming back to life to come to this conclusion," Claire said. "I'm going to be saying this a lot, to a lot of people. And I still haven't talked to Chloe, Helena, and Diana about this, but for the record, I'm sorry."

Claire took a deep breath in response. Her mother didn't say anything.

"The first step is admitting you made a mistake," Martha said, her expression softening a moment. "And you did make a huge one."

Claire swallowed a growing lump in her throat. She held her arms close to her waist and sighed. The sandwich in front her was good, and Martha didn't skimp on the quality despite the fact she was a bit miffed with how her daughter was acting.

"Yes, I made a mistake," Claire said. "And while I regret a lot of what I did….I wouldn't have been able to grow without making them."

Martha nodded when she sat down across from her daughters.

"Your father always had a saying," Martha said. She looked reflective as she often did in certain respects when she thought about her husband. "Someone isn't measured by their successes. They're measured by their failures and how bad they've come back from them."

"He was a wise man," Claire said.

"And he wouldn't want you to blame yourself for his death, no matter what," Martha said, with a light hand placed over the top of Claire's.

Claire understood what her mother said. She couldn't help herself.

"I'm glad you got the farm house rebuilt," Claire said.

"It's not quite the same how it was," Martha said.

"Ma, I'm disappointed," Claire said. "Walls and roofs don't make a home, it's what is in your heart."

"Truer words have never been spoken," Kara said, speaking up with a smile.

"Indeed," Martha said, a smile crossing over her lips. "Welcome home, Claire."

Claire wasn't going to lie, it was really good to be home. She didn't know what was going to happen next, but she prepared for it every last step of the way.

* * *

Granny Goodness stepped out into the midst of a field on Earth. She walked the world for several days after the invasion of General Zod. She gained a general assessment of what was happening around her. One thing could be for certain, which Granny understood more than anyone else in her position.

Earth was in a state of flux, and it was completely vulnerable. They also wanted answers of how they could put in so much danger. They were undergoing a crisis of faith with their heroes. They would willingly allow darkness to enter their hearts.

"Yes, Earth is at its weakest."

The breaches which connected the Phantom Zone from Earth had been closed. Granny took a half of a step forward and smiled. She pulled out a box and pressed a button.

A portal opened and it allowed Granny to walk from a ravished battle field into the more ravished from of Apokolips. The woman stepped forward and looked towards her Female Furies. All of them stepped back into line and stared her down. One of them dropped to her knee in front of Granny, and a smile crossed over her face.

"We have secured the Eastern front, and we also secured…the package you wanted."

Two more Furies pushed a large figure with a black bag over the top of his head. The figure dropped to his knees in front of Granny. The third Female Fury grabbed the bag and pulled it off of the prisoner's head to reveal the scowling form of Darkseid's son, Kalibak.

"Oh, dear, Kalibak, welcome," Granny said. "It's so good to join us. It's nearly time to take back the capital and prepare for our invasion of Earth."

Kalibak stared up at this demented gargoyle with a lot of hatred in his eyes.

"On whose authority are you working on?" Kalibak asked.

"That would be mine."

Kalibak's eyes widened. He wasn't the only one who recoiled for this particular voice. Every single one of them had been caught off guard.

"Great Darkseid?" one of the female furies gasped.

"Yes," Darkseid said. "I have grown stronger by each passing day, and soon, Earth will be crushed underneath my grip."

Granny's lips curled into a smile. The woman bowed down onto the ground and clutched her hand around the green staff.

"My lord, the people of Earth, they grow weak, both of mind and body," Granny said. "They have experienced a crisis faith involving their heroes. And the heroes didn't directly save the day, not without the help of some of the Earth's most criminals."

Darkseid didn't say anything for a long moment.

"If I know anything regarding the resilience of Earth, as long as there is one person who inspires hope, they will be doomed," Darkseid said.

"You are referring of course to Supergirl and Superwoman," Granny Goodness. "What if we turn every single human against their heroes? Make them question their actions? Make them think they are not the heroes the world needs, but nothing other than villains."

Darkseid started to laugh deeply. Granny didn't know whether or not this was a good thing. She stood nervously as she awaited the words from her master. Great Darkseid took a moment to return to the conversation.

"You know the protocol Granny," Darkseid said. "We'll crush them and then when they have nothing, other than their miserable lives, those will be taken as well. Earth will bend underneath my will and humanity will burn."

Each day Darkseid grew stronger, and he would return from the edge.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on July 5** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _Long overdue scene between Claire, Kara, and Lois, not as long overdue as the scene with Claire and Martha, but obviously for different reasons._

 _And Darkseid makes his way, in time for the final set of twenty two chapters._

 _Until July 5_ _th_ _._


	79. Chapter 79

**Chapter Seventy-Nine: Toys for Thugs.**

* * *

Nine months ago, the latest alien invasion on Earth had taken place, and nine months ago, the invaders had been repelled. Many people across the Earth struggled to get it together. They knew they would have to rebuild. The world waited for no one and it most certainly did not wait for them. People pulled things together with the help of several charitable causes.

It was amazing what could happen when people pulled themselves together and started to work together. The Christmas Season was around the corner now and this would be the ultimate test to see if they could get it together. Queen Industries, in several locations along with Metropolis, put together a couple of huge charity events. They could not do it alone.

The people on the stage started to applaud when Thea Queen approached the top of the stage. The Queen Heiress took a few seconds to look onto the stage. She had been in the center of the insanity.

"Thank you, thank you," Thea said. "It's been a rough year for many of us, in many ways, even the more fortunate. Still, if we all band together and do our part, we can really making this next year even more amazing."

A loud round of applause followed. Thea leaned back a fraction of an inch and allowed the applause to die now. She turned towards Felicity who leaned closer towards her.

"Is it just me, or can we barely hear ourselves think?" Felicity asked.

Thea chuckled in response. It most certainly wasn't Felicity to be honest. The woman's hands clapped together. Thea leaned against the podium. Queen Industries helped with the clean-up effort. Metropolis had been rebuilt every other year, or so it seemed.

' _Superwoman makes a city her home town,'_ Thea thought. _'And suddenly it's the epicenter for pretty much every kind of problem imaginable. Oh well, they'll stop clapping.'_

Thea noticed Chloe, Kara, Cat, and Lois in the front row, for the Daily Planet. She could have sworn she saw a couple other familiar faces in the crowd. Regardless the Queen Heiress decided to clear her throat a couple of times. She might as well have just been whispering given no one heard anything.

"Thank you, thank you, you're too kind!" Thea yelled. She endeavored to talk a little bit louder and a little more firm. If she didn't they would be here all day. "And now, Queen Industries brings its annual Toys for Tots event. Several of Metropolis's businesses will be participating. You can find the drop boxes through most businesses. Just bring a toy of any kind and drop it in the box, and you'll make the Christmas of one of our orphans in Metropolis."

Another round of applause followed. Thea smiled and let them get it out of their system. She figured they would be up here for more than the hour allotted. Donate to charity, and they roll out the red carpet for you.

"Save some of your applause, please," Thea said. "I couldn't have done all of this alone. I want to introduce the woman who has helped me out with this entire charity endeavor. Returning to Metropolis after a long stay overseas, Ms. Lana Lang."

The dark haired beauty made her way to the stage. Lana's beauty shined out after all of these years. She looked out into the crowd as if searching for someone. She pulled back the moment the person was not gone.

"It really has been a long time, hasn't it?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, was she even in town for Superwoman's not death?" Lois asked, mindful Cat was within an earshot.

Barbara made her way over from her position behind Kara and stepped in to get a closer look. Kara shifted a little bit to the side so Barbara could get a look.

"I think she showed up briefly to pay her respects," Kara said. "Very briefly, I think. She knew she wasn't dead….because we've been through this entire song and dance a couple of times ago."

"Hopefully she remembers all of the little people," Chloe said. "She's been spending her time touring the world, being a high class fashion model, and then running her own company, and she's made a fortune."

"She's really built herself back up after being torn down," Lois said. "We can thank Lex for it."

Chloe nodded. She wouldn't have blamed Lana if she celebrated Lex's death. One could go they should not speak ill of the dead, but given how Lex tore Lana down, Chloe was not exactly fond of the man, and she was certain Lana would not be either.

"Thank you, thank you, you're too kind," Lana said. "It's good to be back in Metropolis, and I see so many familiar faces. This charity endeavor for Queen Industries is going to be the first of many. I thank the lovely Ms. Queen for all of her help and…"

Lana's speech had been cut off by a clicking sound which came from the edge of the stage. One of the boxes started to roll over to the top of the stage.

Kara frowned in the crowd. She could hear the grinding getting louder and louder with each passing second. X-Ray vision looked past the box and Kara knew a second later she needed to react.

A blur shot off of the stage, plucked Lana off, plucked Thea, and Felicity off, and just in time. Kara picked up the box and launched it into the air before it could harm any of the bystanders.

The Girl of Steel braced herself for anything else. The box released some confetti and a flier into the sky. Kara snatched the flier into her hand and the second she grabbed it, a very familiar and unwelcomed face flashed onto it.

' _Of course.'_

"You know, I don't like my playtime disrupted, Supergirl."

The somewhat childish tone of Toyman cut over the loud speaker. Kara looked around and wondered where he broadcasted for.

"I'm not the bad guy in this situation, but you see, the toys you give away are nothing but cheap chunks of plastic," Toyman said. "They're going to slowly rot away the minds of every child who lays eyes on them."

Kara looked around and wondered if she could find this madman. The failure of his toy business caused him to go off the deep end.

"And it's a shame Oliver Queen isn't alive to see what I've become, what he's inspired me to be," Toyman said. "Oh, well, his kid sister is just going to have to do nicely, isn't she?"

Thea looked forward to putting an arrow through this bastard's head.

"And now, I'm in the process of replacing these cheap hunks of manufactured plastic with something a far bit more simulating," Toyman said. "Play nice kids."

* * *

Lana Lang followed Kara, Barbara, and Thea from the elevator into a penthouse. She looked around and wrung her hands a little bit. Her eyes started to dart around until Kara looked at her.

"Sorry, I thought my days of getting rescued by Kryptonians were long over," Lana said. "It's good to see you….but I just wish it had been under better circumstances than getting attacked by some homicidal maniac. What is his problem anyway, or do we even know?"

Kara responded with a sigh. She escorted Lana into the penthouse and a couple of thoughts stewed in the back of her mind about where she wanted to go next.

"I don't know, he's riled up about something," Kara said.

"It couldn't be because I'm involved, could it?" Thea asked. "I mean, he blames Queen Industries for a lot of his problems. He tried to kill Ollie a few times when he was alive. Oliver's dead, and he's out of prison. So he has to blame someone for his issues, and goes after something I've sponsored."

Kara walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a bottom of wine. She could tell Lana needed a bit of a drink.

"Nice place you have here," Lana said with a smile and a whistle.

"Helena set me up," Kara said. "She wasn't really using the Metropolis pent house and figured I would have a better use for it, all things considered."

Lana responded with a nod. She figured it made about as much sense as everything else. Kara placed a glass in front of Lana. Lana took the glass and took a long drink from it. A smile crossed her face as she enjoyed the drink. She kicked back and relaxed.

"Obviously she would have the very best," Lana said.

The door opened up and Chloe made her way inside. Lana greeted her with a smile.

"It'd be better to see you under better circumstances as well," Lana said. She took another drink and sighed. "I suppose you have some information."

"Well, apparently it's a shock Schott is even out of prison," Chloe said. "The guards just went to his cell and found a living doll lying in his bed. He built it at the prison work shop apparently."

"Oh boy," Lana said. "Our tax dollars are well spent here, aren't they?"

Chloe responded with a dark chuckle. She was glad Lana was in a mood worth lightning up the situation. This continued to get frustrating by each second.

"Yes, and it gets worse, believe me," Chloe said. She leaned back and sighed. "One of the trucks from Queen Industries has gone missing….I'm sure Felicity's checking into that, and she'll be calling you….right about now."

Almost on cue, the phone rang. Thea took the phone and answered it. "Hello, Felicity, let me guess, the truck with the toys on it had gone missing."

Chloe tried very hard not to be smug. Granted, it came naturally to her sometimes where she had gotten ahead of people who could be a bit smug themselves. Two wrongs didn't make a right, even though three rights made a left.

"Yes, I won't even begin to ask you how you even knew this," Felicity said, after a moment of catching her breath. "You should know they're on the move. So far, there's been no ransom demands….and I haven't been able to track it down."

Barbara switched on the headset so she could join on this conversation with Felicity.

"Maybe we shouldn't try and track the truck," Barbara said. "Maybe we should try and track the toys."

"Yes, they all have a tracking chip implemented in them, of course," Felicity said. "I don't want to inflate your ego any, but you can be pretty brilliant, Babs."

Barbara responded with a grin. One of those long and frustrated looks from Kara caused Barbara to develop a bit more of a spring in her step and try and access the tracking information.

"Between the three of us, we should be able to get a good location," Felicity said. "And bingo, you can go home again."

Kara looked up and could see the information Felicity sent to Barbara's lap top. Chloe looked over her shoulder and watched the information pop up in front of her. She frowned in a deep and frustrated way.

"Of course, he would go back to his little shop of horrors," Chloe said. "Guess the more things change, the more they stay the same."

Thea already made her way out, dressed in her Red Arrow uniform. She could not wait to get her hands on Schott and end this once and for all.

"So, what are we waiting for, let's do this," Thea said.

Kara smiled. One thing she always appreciated about young Thea Queen was her determination and readiness to jump into any particular situation, no matter how dangerous it was.

"Is it just me, or do any of you have a bad feeling about this?" Felicity asked. "Like we're walking into a trap?"

Rhetorical question was in fact rhetorical. Thea and Kara exchanged a long look. Barbara slipped into the next room to change into Batgirl, and it felt extremely good to say it.

"Because, we're heroes, and half of our lives are walking into some kind of trap," Thea said.

* * *

Kara, Barbara, and Thea arrived in their super heroine identities. Supergirl, Batgirl, and Red Arrow arrived outside of the building. Kara looked towards the entrance and a frown crossed her face.

"Lead, of course it would have to be lead," Kara said.

"So, I guess we're going to have to go into the brave and perilous unknown? "Barbara asked.

"May I do the honors?" Thea asked.

Supergirl and Batgirl took a step back and Red Arrow withdrew her arrow from her quiver. She needed something which would pack an explosive punch and get them inside. Thea drew back her bow and fired the arrow into the lock.

An explosion followed and knocked the door open. Batgirl lifted up a scanner and frowned. She did not get it at all.

"He wants us to come inside," Supergirl said. "Something nasty is inside."

She couldn't tell what it was though. A few different possibilities entered her body. Kara walked inside and she could hear a song in the background.

"I love you, you love me, we're a happy family…"

The lights came on and Kara took a step back to see a large robotic purple dinosaur statue which looked down at her with glowing, demonic eyes.

"What the hell is that?" Thea asked.

"The spawn of Satan," Barbara said as she braced herself for anything.

A giant purple dinosaur robot making their way towards them qualified as pretty much anything in her book. Barbara looked at the hellspawn which approached them.

"You know, I don't think the three of you were going to play nice, were you?" Toyman asked.

"No, not with you," Thea said. She aimed the arrow and launched it at her adversary.

The arrow flew up and nailed the grid. It vaporized in an instant and caused the archer to rethink her strategy.

"Now, Supergirl, you've had the ability to survive whatever I've thrown at you in the past," Toyman said. "Your friends however, they can and will be very, very, squishy, so….."

Robotic helicopters appeared in front of the three super heroes. They armed, but so did Thea and Barbara.

"I'll take down the big dinosaur, you take care of the drones!" Supergirl yelled.

Thea decided not to argue with Kara. She had a plan and the girl always intended to stick with her plan. All thea could do was draw back her arrows. She just envisioned Toyman's face on every single one of these little mini-attackers and it put her in a blissful state.

She drew back her arrow and smacked into one of the hovering drones. Sparks flew out in every direction. Thea reared her hand back and shot the arrow again. The arrow stuck into the side of the drone and sent more sparks flying out.

Barbara decided not to get outdone. She whipped out one of her baterangs and flung it. The baterang stuck in the drone and fired it.

"I bet I can get more than you can!" Barbara yelled.

"Is everything a competition with you?" Thea asked. "And besides, you can't hit as many as I can. Watch this!"

Thea loaded up all of the arrows and fired them. The arrows whirled around and nailed the drones. The explosion rang through Thea's ears like music.

"See, it's all in the wrist!" Thea yelled. "You just got to get a good enough shot, and then boom, out go the drones, up in flames….."

Barbara grabbed Thea around the waist and hurled an explosive device in the air. The device went off and encased the drones in ice. The drones crashed down onto the ground.

Supergirl closed her eyes and pushed forward. The purple dinosaur locked into her and opened it's mouth.

"I never liked sharing my toys with anyone, especially with a bunch of girls," Toyman said. "They don't play fair."

"And here I thought it was because we ended up busting your toys."

The missile locked onto Supergirl. The Kryptonite warhead blinked towards her. Kara smiled. He was a bit behind the times if he thought Kryptonite could affect her. From what she knew though, Toyman was in prison for a very long time.

' _And if I have my way, he's going back there.'_

Supergirl grabbed onto the missile and re-directed it out of the window. The missile flew through the window and disappeared into the sky. It exploded off into the distance.

Toyman did not know how the missile did not affect Supergirl. He prepared to lock onto and nail her with another attack.

Supergirl used her super breath to cause the broken parts of the drones to fly at the dinosaur robot. The drones slammed against the robot. Supergirl jumped high into the air and nailed the top of the dinosaur's head. She ripped it open and pulled Toyman out.

Toyman had been lifted up into the air and propelled back. He landed onto a table and landed with a wince.

"Playtime's over!" Supergirl yelled.

"No, it's not over," Toyman said. His face cracked into a devious grin." Playtime's only starting to begin."

He reached for a remote control device. Supergirl's reflexes shot the remote control out of the man's hand with heat vision. It burned into ashes.

"You'll never be able to stop it, even if you've stopped me," Toyman said. His laughter rained over. "My delivery, to all of the children of Metropolis…look, it's leaving."

Supergirl tore out an open window. She had to find the truck before it reached the Metropolis Orphanage. She had no idea what was on the trucks.

' _Come on, come on,'_ Kara thought.

Kara launched herself further. She caught up to the truck. The truck was on course for the orphanage.

She flew out in front of the truck. Several laser torrents rose from the edge of the truck. The laser fire started to fly towards Kara. Kara twisted around the laser fire and launched high into the air.

Both hands slammed through the laser torrents. She put the brakes on the truck and lifted it up.

"Self-destruct sequence, sixty seconds and counting."

The truck broke apart and the packages started to rain onto Metropolis. Kara launched herself towards the falling packages.

' _You have to be kidding me,'_ Kara thought.

Kara could not let the packages fall, and she certainly could not catch them. She thought outside the box and spun around. A tornado had been created and caught all of the packages. She sent the packages flying towards the Metropolis bay.

The Girl of Steel took a deep breath. She hated to say things were too close for comfort. Things were too close for comfort though.

She flew back and could see Toyman up. He had been gagged and handcuffed with nowhere to go. Batgirl and Red Arrow stood over the top of the criminal, smiles crossing over their faces.

"Well, that's the end of him."

* * *

Kara returned to the penthouse. She dressed in a short black skirt and a white tank top. She stretched out on the couch and relaxed after a good day's work. Toyman had been put back into time out for a long time. Kara hoped he would stay there for some time to come.

The phone rang and Kara picked it up.

"Hello?" Kara asked.

"Hey," Lana said. "I'm really sorry to have to duck and run so quick….the Board was freaking out after my near miss. And you know how shareholders can get when there's trouble."

Kara never ran a company in her life. She had a pretty good idea from talking with Thea, with Helena, and with others about how frustrating some people could get.

"So, are you fine?" Kara asked.

"Physically yes, and mentally," Lana said. "I suppose I should ask you a question, although you might not be in a place to ask about it."

"It's about Claire, isn't it?" Kara asked.

The pregnant pause which followed over the phone showed Kara it was all about her cousin. Kara wished she could offer more clarity.

"She's a lot better than she was when it happened," Kara said.

"Yes, she was pretty….well…she wasn't in a good spot," Lana said. "I called her, and she wouldn't return my phone calls. I should have been more persistent, shouldn't I?"

"It depends on what you think," Kara said. "You should know about better than anyone else how Claire is and how much she needs her space."

"The only person who knows better is Chloe," Lana said. "I was surprised not to see her out there….."

"She's on a mission with the League," Kara said. "She should be back soon, unless something goes wrong, which…you know."

Kara knew there was no guarantee nothing would go wrong. She had known this in the past. Months and months may have passed since the invasion of Zod and with revelations which turned Kara's entire world upside down. She tried to put on a brave face as Supergirl, there was only so much she could.

"Seems like you've done a good job in putting together the League in Claire's absence when she was finding herself and when…she was recovering from death," Lana said. "So, how messed up is it we talk about a friend recovering from death so casually like it's the most natural thing in the world?"

"Pretty," Kara sighed. "It's just a part of our lives. What is normal?"

"I'm not sure if I know," Lana said. "If you talk to Claire, tell her I want to talk to her….we might not have parted under the best of circumstances, and we might not be able to go back to the way things are, but…."

Lana cut herself off before the babbling could slip out of control.

"Don't worry, Lana, I'll relay the message," Kara said. "And stay safe out there….I just have a feeling something bad is going to happen. It's been too calm."

This entire Toyman episode resulted in the most interest and excitement Kara had in a very long time.

"Right, talk to you later, Kara," Lana said. "It was nice talking to you."

"Is she okay?"

Barbara said this just as Kara hung up the phone. The Girl of Steel turned her attention towards Barbara who stood in the background. Kara watched Barbara step forward. She dressed in a black sleeveless shirt and a pair of tight leather pants which caused Kara to smile.

"She just has to deal with the board of directors," Kara said. "I think you can figure out whether or not that's a good thing or not."

"Well," Barbara said. "If her board of directors is anything like Helena's, it's going to be a bitch and a half."

Barbara sat down next to Kara on the couch which caused her to jolt up in surprise.

"You're pretty tense today," Barbara said. Kara's blue eyes locked back onto Barbara's and the two of them lingered eye to eye with each other. "Impressive out there. I don't think we would have done half as well as we would have if it wasn't for you."

"You would have done fine," Kara said. "Schott….he broke a long draught, didn't he?"

"Yes, it's been quiet," Barbara said. "And if Helena was here, she would tell both of us how unsettling this silence could be."

Kara nodded. She agreed with Helena, or at least what Helena would say in this particular position. Barbara grabbed onto Kara's hand and the two of them made their way to the master bedroom of the penthouse suite.

"It's been a long day," Barbara said. "I think you deserve some stress relief."

Kara smiled and grabbed Barbara. She pressed a kiss onto Barbara's lips. The two super heroines accelerated the kiss with each other. Dark and hormonal forces played their nasty voodoo.

The kiss deepened when Kara guided Barbara back into the bed. Barbara allowed Kara to abuse her lips for the simple purpose of relieving some tension. Their tongues danced together with domination.

Kara pulled away and left a trail of salvia lingering between both sets of juicy lips. She gripped Barbara's chest through her shirt and gave a wicked smile. Kara began to tug.

"Hope you aren't attached to this shirt."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on July 8** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _We start off this final set of twenty two chapters with Kara and friends taking one of the most vile and notorious threats ever known to man, Barney the Purple Dinosaur. Truly, never has there been a more disturbing, depraved villain. Oh, and Toyman was there as well._

 _Lana shows up, and she won't be the last "LL" girl to show up this season._

 _Barbara and Kara indulge in each other, which to be honest was long overdue to be honest. There just wasn't a spot for it until now._

 _See you on Friday._


	80. Chapter 80

**Chapter Eighty: What Have You Done Lately?**

* * *

A silver haired man dressed in a stylish blue suit made his way to the stage. The people gave him a standing ovation when he walked to the podium on the top of the stage. Another man stood across from him and greeted the people of Metropolis with a smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, fresh out of prison, Mr. Morgan Edge!" the man cheered.

The applause started up and grew even louder with each passing moment when the one and only Morgan Edge approached the stage. He had his share of supporters and well-wishers despite having been put away by Superwoman, and also in part by the late Lex Luthor.

"I haven't earned your applause!" Edge yelled. "At least not just yet….but I will earn it in due time. I've spent the past five years of my life behind bars. Now with my debt to society paid, I will help lead Metropolis to a brand new shining stage. I know some of you will look at me with skepticism."

Edge halted his speech long enough to allow the mutterings to sink in. The moment he spoke, the speech continued as it was before it left off.

"I know some of you won't believe a word I'm saying," Edge said. "All I'm going to say is Metropolis will be a bright and shining future."

"Now this sounds like a man who has it together, but there are some people who disagree with every single word he says?"

The picture of Edge giving his speech in the middle of the screen had been replaced by a dark haired man with a naturally slimy deposition. He peered at the camera through beady eyes.

"Yes, Morgan Edge is not the only one who is back in business, ladies and gentleman," the man said with a sneer. "She's back…yet again….back when you've almost forgotten all about her. Look up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's the woman who disappears when she feels the need to and leaves humanity to fend for themselves, ladies and gentlemen it's Superwoman."

Video footage of Superwoman heading out to stop an Intergang raid showed over the television screen. The man's sneer grew wider.

"Look at our heroine, ladies and gentlemen," the man said. "Engaging in thousands of dollar's worth of property damage, and not only that, but she fails to catch the bad guys. Yes, Intergang gets away. Some say she's lost her touch from coming back to the dead. She's not back and better than ever, she's the same as she's always been."

The man's sneer grew so long, one could have sworn it was a part of his face like the Joker's smile.

"And her counterpart is not much better, Supergirl….who would rather save a kitten from a tree then stop any real danger, because she might break a nail," the man said. "And you know what, have we forgotten what happened two years ago? Where Supergirl went on a rampage? The official spin on that is she was exposed to Black Kryptonite. Well, where's the proof? This is another cover up from STAR Labs, who was responsible for the mechanical villain known as Killer Frost, we should note."

At least one person watching this broadcast clutched her hand.

"So, what's going on here?" the man asked. "Are we losing our great nation to these aliens? If we want to make America great, I say we round up all of these aliens and send them to a one way trip as far away from this planet as possible. As always, this is G. Gordon Godfrey, saying what all of you are too afraid to think yourselves. Don't be afraid, there are only a handful of them, and there are millions of us."

The video feed died and Lois Lane watched the screen. Claire, having just returned to the Daily Planet, looked over her girlfriend's shoulder.

"He's not my biggest fan, is he?" Claire asked.

"You think, Smallville?" Lois asked.

Lois's workplace sarcasm was mostly missed by Claire. Claire was really glad to get back to work as well and embrace both sides of herself, both as Claire Kent and as Superwoman.

"No, he's not your biggest fan," Chloe said. "I don't think I've heard Godfrey say a positive word about anyone…..especially if they're wearing a cape."

Kara, who had been quiet pretty much quiet this entire time and had been glaring at the television, let out a sigh.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I really miss the glory days of Leslie Willis," Kara said. "Charming as she was, she…."

Kara trailed off for a moment. Claire placed her hand on Kara's shoulder and squeezed it in response.

"I know what you mean," Claire said. "Leslie was a shock jock….Godfrey is something else entirely….and he's chummy with a lot of politicians out there, who….aren't the biggest fan of aliens, or heroes for that matter."

"You don't suppose they're going to try some kind of super hero registration act, are they?" Chloe asked. "Because, they've tried it…at least twice in the last decade, and it gets shot down harder than SOPA."

"I'd like to go head to head with him on television, and give him a piece of my mind," Lois said.

"Careful, Lois, you don't want to bite off more than you can chew," Claire warned her.

Lois smiled. It had been a long time since Claire gave her this particular warmer. Lois tried not to spend too much time acting warm, fuzzy, and nostalgic about everything.

"Lane, Kent, my office, on the double!" the voice of Perry White yelled.

Claire smiled. It had been a long time. Claire even got her old desk back when Perry gave her job back, and Cat took a promotion towards the media division.

Chloe situated herself down next to the computer screen. Kara picked up a cup of coffee and took a long drink of it.

"Anything?" Kara asked.

"Not….actually hang on," Chloe said. Her lips curled into a frown. "There's something downtown, it's Intergang again."

Kara's face went into a fixed and forced frown. Intergang rose from the ashes after the Joker had pretty much destroyed it. Now they were back, and worse than ever.

"I think this looks like a job for….."

"Intergang is downtown," Claire said, interrupting Kara. "This looks like a job for Superwoman."

"And Supergirl," Kara said.

The two of them disappeared as fast as they could go. The papers on Lois's desk almost flew over. The reporter dove to catch them and almost slid over her desk.

"There's one thing I didn't miss."

* * *

Kara knew by now it would be foolish to even consider something like this to be a coicidence. Morgan Edge returned and Intergang started to rebuild. She did not buy it at all.

Supergirl made her way outside of the building. A man rushed towards her with hands waving. He almost tripped over the sidewalk. The Girl of Steel reached over and prevented the man from landing flat on his face at the last possible second.

"What's the trouble?" she asked.

"They're stealing….the prototype, it's an explosive which can blow up anything, even the hardest metal."

Kara tried to keep the frown off of her face. She supposed there were a couple of legit uses for an item like this. The sound of feet hitting the ground caused Kara to turn around and smile.

"They're inside, and….I think they have the building covered," Kara said. "It's lead, it's hard to tell….."

"See if you can get in from underneath," Claire said. "I'll go in from the upstairs windows."

Claire knew about this lab and knew about the security. She wondered exactly how they got past it. Something about this entire Intergang thing reeked big time.

' _They're not going to get one past me this time,'_ Claire said.

Claire could feel some confidence bursting through her body. She lowered down into the building and made her way down. Claire trusted Kara found her way inside.

What was this grinding sound? Claire approached and made her way to the elevators. They disabled the elevators.

' _No sweat.'_

Claire grabbed the elevator door and pulled it over. The elevator was all the way down at the floor. Claire tucked her arms together and descended all of the way to the ground.

The moment she hit the elevator, a trio of armored goons pointed weapons at her. They started to fire the weapons at her.

Superwoman performed a corkscrew motion. The corkscrew caught the armed goons off guard. The Woman of Steel plowed one of her adversaries and caused him to land into the wall.

One of the goons withdrew an energy blade and tried to nail her with it. Claire backed off and avoided the white hot fire which came close to cutting into her skin. She spun her fist around a fraction of the inch and brought one of the adversaries off of the ground with a sickening crack.

The goon rolled over and reached for one of the laser weapons. She nailed him in the chest.

"It's Superwoman…"

Supergirl came up from the vent and grabbed the offending Intergang goon before he could yell down the hallway. The Girl of Steel rocked back a fraction of an inch and applied the pressure point.

A white hot blast of energy nailed Supergirl in the back. Supergirl dropped down onto her knees. She struggled to get to a standing position and turned to face a figure. Another white hot energy blast lifted Kara off of the ground and caused her to crash down.

Kara staggered a couple of inches back and pulled herself up to a standing position. She tried to figure out what kind of weapon this Intergang stooge had. One realization dawned upon Kara after a moment of searching him.

' _He has none.'_

The Intergang goon fired another attack at her. Kara dodged out of the way. The blast struck the wall and caused it to incinerate. Kara used her heat vision to back off one of the figures.

"I'll slow her down."

One of the goon's placed his hands on the side of a cart and super charged it. The cart rolled all the way down the hallway and came close to plowing Kara in the ribs. Kara flipped out of the way and landed on the cart. The cart exploded and left her off balance.

"Heads up Supergirl!"

Supergirl ducked her head time for Superwoman to fly through the air. The kinetic energy Intergang member grabbed onto a pipe and super charged it. He nailed Superwoman in the chest and knocked her down.

Kara refused to go down this easily. The super breath froze the man in his place. At least until he reached down and super charged the ground and caused a huge explosion of debris.

Supergirl rolled over and coughed. A stab of agony spread through her body. One of the figures stepped in and suddenly, the figure raised her hands into the air. An ear splitting sensation spread through Supergirl's head. She staggered around and her heat vision could not be directed to the enemy.

"Let's get out of here, we have what we need!"

One of the Intergang members toppled a billboard. Superwoman flew up and stopped the billboard from squashing the citizens of Metropolis.

Cheers did not follow, but rather boos and jeers.

"What did you do that for…you failed to stop Intergang again!"

"Yeah, Godfrey's right, you can't save the day from the real threats anymore."

Claire dropped down to the ground. She tried to ignore the words of the angry crowd. These angry words grew even angrier though.

"Yes, go back to where you came from!"

"You don't belong here, you don't belong on Earth!"

The words cut through them and they started to throw objects at them. Supergirl looked towards them and was about to say something. Superwoman gripped her cape tightly and held her back.

"It's not worth it."

Kara was about ready to argue against it. The hateful comments coming from the people burned through her ears and enhanced her frustration. She knew to turn the other cheek.

Something about them multiplied. These comments ended up being a slight bit worse than other comments in the past. These comments further taunted and tormented Kara all the way.

She could see the MCU pull up. Maggie Sawyer stopped and waved her hand. Supergirl got the hint in an instant it was her cue to leave and she did.

Tear gas had been released and the rioters were brought down.

"You only put us in danger….none of this would have happened if it wasn't for you."

* * *

"You put us in danger, none of this would have even happened if it would have been for you," the voice of G. Gordon Godfrey said. "These are words our two so called heroines heard….and words which are reflecting a growing consciousness across the entire city and through the world. Half of the danger Metropolis is put in would not have happened if it wasn't for Supergirl and Superwoman."

Kara placed herself down on the couch. She thought about turning the television off. Something about her stopped it.

' _Best to know what the enemy is saying.'_

Kara had been through it before, but this time, something about it seemed worse. The same unsettling feeling she received when dealing with Toyman reached a boiling point. She heard them talk about it on the screen.

"And did they even stop Intergang?" Godfrey asked. "Again, for the second time in a week, they failed to bring them down. Metropolis has gone soft relying on it's heroes. It's time for us to stand up and drive all of the elements which is causing danger out of town."

The door opened and Chloe stepped into the Penthouse. She frowned when Kara stared at the television. Chloe sensed she would have used her heat vision on Godfrey had he been right there in person. She walked over and plucked up the remote control before flicking the television off.

"I was watching that," Kara said.

"The show's bad for your health," Chloe said. "You shouldn't worry about what some right wing nut like Godfrey says….."

"A lot of people are believing what he says though," Kara said. "And there's something really different about Intergang this time…they were meteor mutants, I think."

Chloe sank down next to Kara and raised her eyebrow. A tick passed on the clock when she looked at Kara.

"Are you sure?" Chloe asked.

Kara took a moment to sigh and look out onto the blank television. If she listened hard enough, Godfrey's words continued to penetrate the back of her mind. It took a moment before Chloe raised her fingers and started to snap. She caught Kara's attention a second later.

"I'm about ninety-five percent sure," Kara said. "You don't suppose there are any meteor mutants are missing from lock up, do you?"

"From Belle Reve….or any of the other facilities?" Chloe asked. "I can do some digging….unless these are….no it's stupid."

Kara reached over and grabbed Chloe around the hand. Chloe looked towards Kara, into her firm glare.

"Nothing you say can be stupid, your hunches are pretty much on the money most of the time," Kara said. "So, do me a favor and tell me what's going on, please."

Chloe answered with a deep breath. She had kicked up the idea in her mind. Was it even possible?

"These weren't created in the meteor shower," Chloe said. "At least not the one which Claire came down in all of those years ago."

Kara thought about it and responded with a nod. The women who did the entire vertigo thing on her looked a bit young to be honest.

"I thought some of them looked a bit on the younger side," Kara said. "If we attached some names to the faces, we might have be going somewhere."

"I'll keep an eye out," Chloe said. "And you shouldn't let someone like Godfrey or his fanboys get underneath your skin. The good Supergirl does outweighs any public opinion."

Chloe leaned in and gave Kara a tiny kiss on the lips. The two of them parted their ways. Kara knew it. There were times even when Supergirl needed a bit of a reminder.

* * *

Claire decided she could not put off this meeting for much longer. Lana would still be in town for a while. There were some things which couldn't be done over the phone, so Claire made the decision to meet her face to face. The Woman of Steel walked in and noticed Lana waiting for her.

"Hello, Claire."

Claire crossed the room and took a seat in front of Lana.

"Lana, when I lost my powers, I wasn't going through the best time in my life," Claire said. "I was going through a really bad time, and if Kara hadn't snapped me out of it in her own blunt way, I wouldn't have taken the steps to get them back."

"I know, Claire," Lana said. "It seems like every couple of years we do this song and dance."

Claire responded with a snort.

"Couple of years?" Claire asked. "Just every couple of years? You're being modest, aren't we, Lana? We went through problems like this at least once a week when we were teenagers."

Lana smiled and reached forward. She grabbed a cup of coffee and drank from it.

"Yes, I was trying to make you feel better," Lana said. "You have your issues, and….you know what I've been through."

"Yes," Claire said.

"And we're a lot better people now we've gone through it," Lana said.

Claire was not going to argue with it. Some of the drama they went through during those Smallville years made Claire cringe just a tiny bit.

"I'd say I'm sorry," Claire said. "What I'm not going to say is it won't happen again, because I know better. Something always comes up in the worst way."

Lana smiled when she looked at Claire. It took a moment for Lana to collect some thoughts in her mind.

"You know, after all of the years we knew each other, this is the most frank you've ever spoken to me," Lana said. "And the fact you would actually go out and admit this after all of this time is progress."

"I've had some time to grow beyond what I've been," Claire said. "There have been times where being both Superwoman and Claire have weighed me down."

Lana knew all about the problems with Claire's duel identity. She tried to keep both lives as far apart as possible. There were times where she succeeded well. Other times, Claire failed in the most spectacular and obvious way possible.

"I know you didn't fly all the way to Metropolis to be the latest stop on the Claire Kent apology tore," Claire said. Lana responded with a snort and almost choked on her coffee. Claire locked eyes with Lana and Lana smiled in response. "So, what's the deal here?"

"Well, if I had to be honest," Lana said. "It's an interesting bonus, but you're right, this isn't the reason why I'm here."

Claire and Lois had a bit of a running wager about the reason why Lana was here.

"I've entered a business agreement with LuthorCorp," Lana said.

The entire atmosphere in the room took a change for the awkward. Claire would be the first to admit out of all of the things she expected Lana to say, acknowledgement of some kind of business agreement with LuthorCorp ranked pretty low on the list. She wouldn't say it ranked at the basement level.

"Wow that's…well that's….." Claire said. "I don't know…that's just….."

"Shocking?" Lana asked. "Out of left field? You couldn't believe it, can you?"

"No, I really can't believe it," Claire said. "And believe me when I say there's a lot of things I could believe…..after your dealings with Lex….no need to bring it up…I know….."

Lana placed her hand on top of Claire's. For a moment, an old spark between the two of them had been renewed. Lana pulled away to avoid the spark from turning into something more.

"No need to bring it up," Lana said. "And for the record, you had your problems with Lex. And we shouldn't need to discuss his obsession with you. It's been well documented."

Claire frowned. The reason why she lost her powers years ago was because of Lex. He was long since dust, and still the ramifications of what he did hit the back of Claire's mind.

"Yes, I know, no need to bring it up either," Claire said.

"And I didn't know he had a twin sister," Lana said. "Then again, given the long lost Luthor siblings which always come out of the woodwork, you shouldn't really be surprised, should you?"

Claire chuckled. She had her fair share of long lost Luthors back in her day.

"Tess turned out alright, and Alexa…she has her share of issues," Claire said. "You're not going to believe what I'm about to tell you, Lana."

Lana picked up a fresh cup of coffee which had been delivered to the table.

"Claire, I lived for twenty one years in the meteor capital of America," Lana said. "There's a lot I wouldn't believe."

"Alexa is my and Lex's clone daughter hyper aged."

Lana almost spit the coffee on herself. Claire reached over without a pause and handed her napkins to dab herself with. Both women received their fair share of cross looks.

"Not expecting this one, I'll give you that much," Lana said.

Lana had about ten million questions, okay maybe just a dozen, but she still had a few questions to ask Claire. The droning voice of G. Gordon Godfrey started to pop up over the television screen.

"And once again, Superwoman and Supergirl let Intergang get away….."

"At another time you would have been fixated on what he was talking about," Lana said.

"Times change," Claire said.

The fact a good majority of the public fell for Godfrey's words bothered Claire a little bit. She refused to let this get the better of her.

"A lot of people believe the bullshit he's spewing," Lana said. "It's almost as if he has him underneath a spell of some sort."

Lana's words caused Claire to "hmm" thoughtfully. There was one person she could talk to who would have a good idea if Godfrey had them under any kind of enchantment. Unfortunately, she had pretty much skipped town after the Zod invasion had been concluded, and no one could reach her.

* * *

Four members of Intergang lugged a heavy crate. The explosives were thought to be the target. Little did they know, there were something else their employer thought.

"Careful, careful, you drop that, and we'll be in serious trouble," one of them said.

All of them were teenagers, a couple of them slightly younger than that. They had all lost their parents and fallen into rough times. They were given a chance to make something out of their tortured lives. They were not the first to be given these gifts. The new and improved Intergang proved to be a challenge for both Superwoman and Supergirl.

The doors slid open and a stooping figure watched them. A wicked grin spread over the face of the old gargoyle who watched over her children.

"We have it," the leader of Intergang said. "We have the Quantum Core just as you asked."

"I don't know why you wanted it…it's a failed project….."

"Failed only because humanity doesn't have the ability to complete it," the figure said in her usual cruel and nasty voice. "We do have the resources to complete it. We only need two further components, and the world will be reshaped in his glorious image. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Granny Goodness," they droned.

"Great," Granny said. "You've done a good job. Your dear Granny is very proud of you."

 **To Be Continued on July 12** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _Supergirl and Superwoman teaming up together, just the two of them, it's amazing we took eighty chapters to get to this point. But, given how Claire spent most of this story de-powered or dead, are you really surprised?_

 _G. Gordon Godfrey, he's a real charmer._

 _Granny's up to no good. Shocking, I know._

 _Until Tuesday._


	81. Chapter 81

_Chapter of the Week Voting is Up at the Blog as Per_

 **Chapter Eighty-One: Siege of the Seas Part One.**

* * *

Wind and waves marked a rather rough voyage over the sea. Several members of a ship crew held down the fort on a ship. This journey was perilous and at the same time, extremely important. They would be carrying a cargo which was of great value.

The old man who captained the ship looked over onto the waves. A hell of a storm was about ready to hit them all. He could feel it in his bones. The crew, eager and young, looked around. He had made this journey many times before and every time he crossed over these waters, he had a feeling of foreboding.

"Everyone on your toes," he said in a tone which sounded like something grinding across the gravel. "We be entering some treacherous waters tonight, boys….and the storm is kicking up. I can feel it, this isn't any ordinary storm."

The members of the crew all looked at each other. One of them muttered something.

"Oh, you think this is another one of me fish tales?" he asked. The captain rose to a standing position and got into the face of the crew member. "Let me tell you something, bucko, it's far from a fish tale. It's the real deal."

The captain cupped his hand underneath his chin and looked out into the sea. He had seen things out there which could make the skin of anyone out there curl. He turned towards his crew, many them look skeptical.

"I've been out here longer before many of you have been a twitch in your Daddy's trousers," the captain said. "And the sea, she claims those who don't show her the proper respect. Deep beneath these waves, there exists a whole new world, which none of you boys could comprehend."

The crew all looked at each other and started their deep mutterings. The Captain of the ship stared back at them and shook his head.

"Fine, don't believe me," the Captain said. "I don't want any of you to come crying to me when the deep blue sea claims you and…"

A loud groan echoed. The Captain turned around and looked towards the ocean. The members of the crew all stared at each other and some of them started to mutter something to each other.

"The old man's lost his mind, hasn't he?" one of the crew members asked.

"Nothing out there, but some waves and winds," the crew said. "Haven't even seen a shark out there?"

"Or a giant squid," one of the crew member said.

They started to laugh. The Captain gritted his teeth at their laughter. They were making a mockery out of the sea and he was not a big fan of it. They would be laughing out of the other side of their face if something happened to them, mark his words.

"Look, we're going to be there pretty soon," one of the crew members said. "We're going to get this crate….it must be important if they're bringing it halfway across the room."

The Captain inhaled the air in the ship. He watched one of the crew members toss something overboard. The Captain made his way over and tried to stop the wrapper from landing overboard.

"I should have to swab the decks for that one!" the Captain yelled. "You didn't show any respect for the seas? Just tossing your rubbish overboard?"

The crew members took a moment to all roll their eyes in unison.

"I don't know what's the big deal about it," the crew member said. "It's just garbage, what's the problem?"

The Captain lifted his fist and looked about ready to thump the disrespectful punk across the face. Something started to bubble from underneath the water.

"Look what you've done, you've doomed us all!" the Captain yelled.

The crew member almost asked what he did to doom them all. He never did have a chance when a large arm smashed through the bottom of the ship. It grabbed the crew member and pulled him down deep below. The other crew members did not have a chance.

The Captain picked up a harpoon gun. He looked at the creature with wide eyes and placed his hand on the trigger.

"Stand back you scurvy sea devil!" the Captain yelled. "You better stand back. I'm not going to let you do me in, you're not….."

"Put that away before you hurt yourself, land dweller."

A figure dressed in battle armor entered the ship. Three other figures followed her in less high tech, but still impressive armor. The Captain turned his harpoon gun on the people who boarded the ship. The figure who boarded the ship turned her hand and launched the weapon out of his hand.

The Captain grunted and dropped down to his knees before this particular woman. She reached down and throttled his throat.

"I'm going to ask you only one time," the woman said. "Where is it? Where is the package?"

The Captain gasped when the oxygen had been struck from his lungs. He started to squirm and thrash out of her way.

"You can forget it, a Captain will go down with his ship, and his crew before he gives up his cargo," he said.

The woman who boarded the ship smiled and plunged the knife into the chest of the Captain. He gurgled and blood started to pump out of his mouth. She watched the Captain fall back down onto the ship.

"So be it then," she said. "Search the ship."

Her followers did as they were told. The woman looked down. Her pet had taken down the crew without any thought. The fact they befouled the sea through their arrogance showed how and why they needed to be taken out.

"My Lady, we have found it."

A large box had been brought from the ship. The woman snatched the box and a wicked smile spread over her face. The box clicked open and bright light filled her eyes. The grin grew even more wicked the second she locked onto the item.

"Yes," she said. "This is exactly what we need for our conquest."

Giddiness filled her voice the moment she held the box.

"I will have the throne of Atlantis and my foul sister, Mera, she will perish," the woman said. "Vengeance will be mine. She will pay for the betrayal of our people."

* * *

Kara thought it would be healthy to just let go this entire Intergang mess. A part of her thought so anyway, but there was another huge part of her who had been ruled by frustration. She needed to track them down and take them out.

' _If I were Intergang, where would I be now?'_

This question popped into Kara's mind. Every single thing she went over in her mind indicated the lack of leads and the lack of leads led to some rather clear frustration on the part of the Girl of Steel. She drew in a deep breath and frowned.

' _Good question, wish I had answers,'_ Kara thought. _'Okay, here goes nothing.'_

Kara could hear something off to the distance. Two men attempted hijack the truck, although they weren't doing a good job of it. It was almost like some kind of comedy routine between the two of them.

' _Good, I need something to keep my mind off of….well everything.'_

Supergirl dropped down in front of the two thugs. One of the thugs turned towards her and almost dropped the gun in terror.

"Ah, shit, it's Supergirl!" one of the thugs yelled. He pointed the gun at the Girl of Steel. "You better stand back, you better stand back for your sake!"

Kara blinked and stared down the gun. Surely the thug couldn't be stupid enough to start shooting at her. It made her wonder exactly what these thugs were thinking.

The thug aimed the gun and started to unload on Kara. The bullets bounced off her body. Yeah, they were this stupid. Kara allowed him to take a dozen or so shots, before she grabbed the thug by the neck and hoisted him high off of the ground. The thug's arms and legs turned in many directions before Kara launched him down onto the ground.

The second thug rushed Kara from behind. He tried to nail her with a crowbar shot to the back of the head. The crowbar bent over the back of Kara. She turned around and the thug backed off.

"Please, don't hurt me, don't hurt me!" he yelled.

Kara almost took pity on him. He tried to draw a knife at her. Again, it would not work. Kara nailed the knife with a blast of heat vision and dropped the thug to his knees. The thug screamed in agony the moment Kara had dropped him.

The two thugs rose to their feet. Kara's eyes followed the sea when it rose up high. The thugs turned around and they saw the waves.

They encountered something far worse than Supergirl to be honest. The waves came down onto them and caused them to stagger back. The moment they came to their senses, plants entangled both of them. They struggled to rise up to their feet from this particular position.

Kara wondered who helped her out. She turned her attention to the figure which appeared from the waves. Her dark hair came into prominence first of all. Her soft face, violet eyes, and rosy lips also flashed out for Kara. Kara smiled when she noticed her turning up in the flesh.

"Lori," Kara said.

Lori Lemaris, who was an old friend of Claire and an adviser to Queen Mera of Atlantis, showed up on the sea.

"Figured I was in the neighborhood, so I can lend you hand," Lori said. She smiled and pulled Kara into a hug from the sea. "It's really good to see you again, Kara."

"It's good to see you as well, Lori," Kara said. "Do you think you could wait a second when I drop these two off?"

Lori nodded and Kara hoisted up the goons. She sprinted off as far in the other direction as possible and returned before Lori could blink.

"When you say you're going to be back in a minute, you really aren't kidding, are you?" Lori asked.

"No, I try to be serious in most of everything I do," Kara said. "So, what's on your mind?"

"There's an emergency in Atlantis," Lori said. "And I was wondering if I could speak to Claire. It's something she might have been interested in dealing with."

Kara hated to be the one to break the news to Lori. She hoped to do so in the most gentle way possible without causing any feelings to be ruffled.

"Lori, I'm sorry," Kara said. "Claire's….she's off with the League…..there's a big disturbance in space….half of the team is out there dealing with it."

"Oh, I see," Lori said. "I guess then….."

"I'll come with you, and see if I can round up any other help," Kara said. "And when you say an emergency, it's pretty urgent, isn't it?"

One look directed at Lori's face showed Kara it was urgent. She reached in and placed her hands on the face of the Beautiful Mermaid to calm her down.

"I might not be Superwoman, but I do a pretty good job when I put my mind to something," Supergirl said.

A part of Kara wanted to prove herself at the recent embarrassments against Intergang.

"It's really bad," Lori said. "Both Atlantis and the Surface World are in danger."

* * *

Mera looked out into Atlantis. Her husband died a valiant hero. She ruled Atlantis in his place with an even hand. There were many problems. The worst of which the people of Atlantis offered her minimal respect due to her heritage. Mera had to slowly earn their trust.

There were days which passed without any difficulties. Each day proved to be a constant struggle on the part onf the Queen of Atlantis. She knew one wrong move and it would slip back.

A knock on the door of the throne room grew even more frantic. Mera rushed over from her point and pulled the door open. A battered and dazed Tula made her way into the room. Her chief aide walked forward and almost staggered. Mera extended her arms and caught Tula before she fell onto the ground.

"Tula, breath, breath, breath," Mera said. She grasped her hands firmly around the shoulders of her aid to prevent her from falling. "What is it?"

"The defenses…they're…they're about knocked down," Tula said. "Atlantis is under attack it's…her….."

Mera frowned. She hoped this would be the end of this. Bad blood never had ceased to be though. The Queen of Atlantis stood tall and proud.

"Lori has gone along to try and get Superwoman," Tula said.

Mera hated to get the help from the Justice League because this should have remained a personal matter. Unfortunately though, the attacks and aggression on Atlantis heightened over the past couple of months. This lead to these problems and Mera pretty was down to her last line of defense on her kingdom.

The last line of defense was about ready to fail. Mera watched with a mostly chilling glance outside of the window. Her breath entered and exited her body in rapid fire.

"What happens if Superwoman and the League don't get here in time?" Tula asked.

"Tula, leave me, get as many people as you can out, through the tunnels, and to the safe area," Mera said.

Mera did not know how safe this area would be. She convinced herself it would be fine for the simple reason the target was at the palace and most certainly on her. She turned towards Tula and the girl hesitated.

"You know when you're Queen gives you an order, you are to follow it," Mera said.

Tula bolted from the other direction and made her way down the corridor. Mera did not want to give Tula an order this brutal and make it seem like she did not have a choice. She would have to make it up to her young aide later.

No sooner did Tula depart from the room, the sounds of battle could be heard. Mera looked around in the room and could see most of her royal guard had vanished from around her. They were all fighting the invaders.

Mera closed her eyes and got ahold of her senses. Something told her the royal guard perished and in the worst way possible. Mera's hand clutched onto the side of her hip and took in a breath again. She reached towards the case and withdrew a blade. Sparks flew through the blade when she approached forward.

' _If I'm on my own, then I stand tall, and I fight for Atlantis,'_ Mera thought. _'And I fight for the legacy Arthur left behind for me to lead.'_

Mera removed the locks from the door. If they wanted to come in and face her, then so be it. The monarch waited and two very familiar guards walked in. The guard which had been posted outside of the guard hovered in the air. A knife plunged between his shoulder blades before he had been dropped down on the ground.

"Mera, it's good to see you again," she said. "And you opened the door for us already, very nice. Tired of hiding like a craven coward behind your throne?"

"Hila," Mera said. "A coward is someone who hides behind a helmet and does not look her sister in the face. A coward is the one I look at. So maybe you should be the one who removes the mask to face me properly."

"So be it."

The mask had been pulled off to reveal a figure who was Mera's double. Only she had purple hair as opposed to red hair. And she held a staff in her hand.

"You must have been as arrogant as your late husband to think I could have been kept away for all time," Hila said. "Atlantis will have a proper ruler and the surface world will learn its place. I will take great pleasure in drowning every single one of those filthy humans."

Three more guards stepped in and they dragged Tula back in. Tula started to kick, scream, and try and scratch her way out of position. She broke free from the attack. The guards shoved her down to a kneeling position and forced Tula down to a kneeling position.

"Well, looks like someone got caught escaping," Hila said. "Put the so called queen and her aide into the dungeons….I must prepare to address my people."

Hila paused and looked into her sister's eyes. A smile had been coaxed across her face.

"And it appears she may have summoned help from her filthy friends in the…what do they call it…the Justice League?" Hila asked, almost mocking her sister. "We're going to prepare a suitable reception for them as well."

* * *

Donna turned up with Diana in tow. Lori looked at both of them with her arms crossed. One could not really complain too much about a pair of Amazon sisters. On the other hand, Lori hoped for some more help when dealing with the League then a couple of Amazons.

"Sorry," Diana said. "The League's very busy."

"It really just started to happen over the past couple of weeks," Donna said.

Kara really wished she had not been complaining about things being slow before Toyman showed up. The floodgates opened and there were numerous problems.

"Some of the others should be on their way back though," Diana said. "Claire sent a signal, and she said she's almost finished up with the distress signal, but….."

"By the time they get back, it should be too late," Lori said. "There's something you should know….."

Kara pressed a button and the water started to bubble underneath them. An underground submarine popped up over the water. Donna looked at it with a surprise. A stolen and quick look from her sister showed Diana was not as surprised as she was.

"A gift from Helena, in case there was any underwater emergencies," Kara said. "I can hold my breath for a little bit under water, but this has some added gifts in it….Lori do you want….."

"Best we stick together," Lori said.

She clutched the amulet hanging on her neck. A flash of light engulfed her body. She was able to stand on her legs. Years ago, Lori struggled with the process of walking. This time, Lori thought she had gotten a lot better, at least in the sense of being able to stand on her own two feet.

Kara, Lori, Diana, and Donna made their way into the submarine. Donna looked at Kara and frowned at her.

"So, do you know how to pilot this thing?" Donna asked.

"Yes," Kara said. "I have it, so I've made it my business to learn how to run it."

She pressed a button and made her way down to the water. Kara pushed another couple of buttons which caused the submarine to enter a cloaking mode. It propelled through the water the second she edged closer towards the destination.

"So, this submarine shouldn't be caught by any radar?" Donna asked.

"Atlantis does have some pretty sophisticated methods of tracking," Lori said. "Are you sure you're going to be able to get past them?"

"This submarine was designed by Wayne Industries," Kara said. "I think we're in pretty good shape, no offense made….but never the less, it would be best for us to be on our guard."

Lori nodded in response. A look of frustration spread over the face of the young mermaid's face. Donna looked at her, as did Kara when she turned around. Diana cleared her throat and focused completely on Lori.

"So, what's the matter?" Diana asked. "There's something bothering you, isn't there?"

Lori let out her breath in a brisk sigh.

"Remember when I told you the surface world and Atlantis are in big danger?" Lori asked. "It turns out I'm not kidding. Our Queen's people….they may have breached through the defenses."

Kara engaged the auto-pilot of the ship and allowed it to further glide along.

"There's been a lot of wars lately, it's why Mera has not been able to assist the League as much as she wishes," Lori said.

"That's fine, the Queen's first responsibility should be to her people," Diana said. "Tell us more about the weapon?"

Lori's hair flipped back out of her face. She chewed down on her lip in a nervous manner as if trying to figure out how to explain this particular problem. Drawing in a deep breath, Lori decided to explain what she needed to explain.

"The weapon has only been prepared as a last ditch effort," Lori said. "To protect Atlantis in the case of an invasion, and it's only supposed to be the last ditch effort, I swear."

Lori struggled to spit out her words. Kara reached over and touched her hand to the top of Lori's. She drew in her breath and stared back at Kara.

"Don't worry," Kara said. "We'll stop them from unleashing it."

Both the surface world and Atlantis had been put in danger because of this situation. Kara appreciated about as much pressure as the next person, but she knew this was going to be one of the more dangerous missions they were on in a while.

' _Let's do this.'_

* * *

Mera struggled against the chains which bound her in the cage. This was not the best place for her to be, if she had been perfectly blunt. She could see Hila's followers bring it up from the downstairs area. The only solitude was they would have to assemble the weapon.

' _Buy us more time,'_ Mera thought. _'Time we preciously need.'_

Mera turned and took a long glimpse of her sister's face. Hila looked at her with contempt in her face.

"How would it be if you were responsible for the death of many?" Hila asked. "Just like you were responsible for betraying your own people and sealing us away….just like you were responsible for sealing away your own sister."

"Hila, you posed a danger….."

"Humanity poses a danger to this planet!" Hila yelled. "And Atlantis is not too much better with how they enable these humans. I'm not a villain in this situation, Mera."

Mera listened to her sister's skewed perspective. There were a couple of opportunities for her to slip free if she so chose to do so. She could not loosen these chains no matter how hard she tried.

"You're not the villain, yet you're willing to wipe out countless people to serve your goals," Mera said. "You activate the device and if it's configured the slightest bit wrong, it will have serious gravitational consequences. Half of the Earth will freeze, the other half will fry. And that includes your people. You are willing to wipe them out."

Hila placed her hands on either side of the bar and poked them through. Her glare deepened when she faced off against Mera.

"Trust me when I say I won't destroy them," Hila said. "Trust me when I say everything will work according to plan."

Hila stepped back from her sister. The scowl deepened across her face.

"If the device is not configured properly, it will mean the end of many," Hila said. "I concede this point. You should not worry though. The device can and will be configured properly."

Hila turned herself around and one of the soldiers stepped towards her. He kneeled on the ground before his Queen.

"Report," Hila said.

"My Queen, there has been a breach," the guard said. "One of the alarms on the outside has been breached."

Hila frowned and she turned to her sister.

"You knew they were coming," Mera said. "And they're not going to be too happy with what you've done."

"We'll see," Hila said. She held the staff in her hand and closed her fist on it. "I'll ensure to allow them a suitable reception."

Hila could not see the ship they used to get down here. This meant little. She would just need to flush it out and crush her enemies like the vermin they were.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on July 15** **th** **, 2016.**

 _An attack on Atlantis, and that could lead to some huge ramifications. Could there be more to this than meets the eye? Well we're find out on Friday._


	82. Chapter 82

**Chapter Eighty-Two: Siege of the Seas Part Two.**

* * *

Kara knew nothing was perfect and even a vessel designed by the woman with the largest case of OCD on the planet today was going to have some problems. One of those huge problems were the fact there were guards waiting for them.

"They're going to shoot us down," Lori said.

"We'll see," Kara said. "You don't give me enough credit."

Lori cupped her hands over her mouth. She never intended not to give Kara the proper amount of credit. Kara positioned herself on the seat and locked onto the target.

"Lori, take the ear plugs in the third compartment from the right," Kara said. "Trust me, you're going to need them."

Lori did as Kara requested. She slipped the ear plugs into her ear and knew why in a second Kara had told her to push the ear plugs into her ears. The Girl of Steel pushed a button and a low powered sonic shriek echoed. It dropped the wave of enemies around them.

"It's a sonic attack which only effects life under the seas," Kara said. "It will only stun them and it won't hurt them from long. We're going to have to break the attack to them and now!"

Diana and Donna slipped onto the wet suits and made their way from the ship to engage in their enemies. One of the guards rushed Diana. Diana dodged his attack. If they thought she was any less competent under the sea than she was on the ground, she had another thing coming. Diana avoided the stabbing of one of blades to go into her once again.

"You have no right to be down here, Amazon!" one of the guards yelled. "You're going to pay for your arrogance!"

Diana sighed. Saying someone would pay for their arrogance just showed how arrogant that particular person was. She could tell this particular individual wanted to make a name for himself, and do so at Diana's expense. The Amazon Princess stared down at the guard and waited for the attack.

The guard rushed towards her. Diana shifted over to one side and hammered him with a series of rapid fire punches to the chest. The goon had been doubled over. Each punch crunched against the guard's chest and caused him to double over. Diana sank her fist into his chest.

Donna dodged a sting ray weapon which had been zapped towards her. The Amazon jumped into the air and hammered away her adversary with about fifteen jabs in succession. She hit one or two of them and the rest of them had only barely grazed her enemy.

' _Okay, he has to have a weak spot, somewhere,'_ Donna thought. _'You're just going to have to find it…come on, let's go.'_

Donna kept hammering away at the side plate of her adversary. She found a fleshy surface through a little bit of trial and error.

The Amazon Princess pulled back her arm and slammed the point of her fist into the side of the enemy. He had been brought down with a grunt. Donna reared back her arm and hit another rapid fire string of punches to her enemy.

"You will pay….."

"Yeah, say I'll pay for this," Donna said. She avoided the swing. "Say, I'll pay for this….I've heard this about a million times. It always gets pretty old, you know."

The figure rushed forward and swung a punch at Donna. Donna flipped onto her feet to avoid the attack. One beefy hand slammed through the wall and one Amazon Princess landed down onto the ground.

A throbbing sensation escalated through Donna's head. She pulled herself to a standing position and dove towards her adversary. Donna propelled into the air and came down onto the top of the head of the enemy. She caught one of the few weak spots on the face.

"Diana, over your way!" Donna yelled.

Diana nodded and stood back to back with her sister with determination through her eyes. The Amazon Princess rushed towards the enemy. He tried to grab Diana around the wrist. Diana flipped out of the attack and stuck a landing. A sword withdrew from her sheath and the figure charged forward in an attempt to take down Diana one more time.

The Amazon Princess avoided the attack one more time. She watched Lori and Kara slip into the palace. Diana grabbed the figure around the neck and snapped him down to the ground. Diana hit the ground hard and rolled over, drawing in a deep breath.

Diana's face screwed up in an intense glare and she rushed in one more time. The fighter's nails retracted out into razor sharp blades. Diana evaded the attacks before they skewed her. The Amazon Princess avoided a few more swipes of these razor sharp nails before they impaled through her skin.

The Amazon drew in a deeper breath when the figure tried to stab these nails at her. She watched when Donna engaged the enemy from the side.

"Donna, remember what we practiced."

Donna racked her brain to remember what Diana talked about. It came back to her in a matter of seconds. Donna veered to the left and Diana veered to the right. Both of the figures smacked into each other with a resounding thud. The sound of heads clonking together echoed through the village of Atlantis.

Diana snapped up and caught her enemy with a huge spinning heel kick to the face. The figure dropped down to the ground. Diana caught a spear stabbed towards her from behind and nailed her enemy in the face to knock him back.

"There will be more on the way, you know that, right?" Donna asked.

"Yes, I know," Diana said. "The important thing is Kara and Lori are now inside, we should back them up."

The two Amazons sisters fought in tandem, ready to fight with honor, as they had been taught.

* * *

Mera built the security in her palace too well. She could not see of a way to get out of this prison. The Queen of Atlantis thought about every single potential way out, and there were no ideas which entered her face.

"What now?" Tula asked.

"Let's hope for an intervention," Mera said.

The League were on their way here. All Mera and Tula needed to do was wait it out. Tula pressed her hand on the bar and tried to pull it back. Another attempt to pull it back brought her back to square one. Mera placed a gentle hand on her elbow to prevent her from pulling a third time.

"I hate to tell you this is futile," Mera said.

Tula hated to admit this as well. She watched them put together off in the distance. The device brought shudders down her spine. Tula was pretty certain it would have worked. Whether it worked as intended, she thought it was another matter entirely.

' _Magi-Tech can be a pretty dangerous thing,'_ Tula thought. _'Both magic and technology can go completely wrong if you don't know what to do.'_

Mera turned her attention and looked outside of the cell. Hila approached the cell and stared through the bars towards her sister. The silence between the two of them got so long and awkward.

Tula shifted on the other side of the cell. The silence between the two sisters grew awkward. Tula could not even begin to guess where it went wrong.

"If you're asking for an apology, then I'm afraid I can't give it to you," Mera said. "You know what our people have done…."

Hila slammed her hands against the edge of the cell. The bars rattled and Mera blinked. Her sister's fierce face pressed against the cell and glared down at Mera.

"What our people have done was try and thrive in a world which humanity would have destroyed?" Hila asked. "You see all of the death, all of the disease, all of the pollution. All of these elements have one thing in common, and they all have to do with humanity."

Mera knew this was a slippery slope, especially given how stubborn her sister was.

"Humans aren't innocent, I'll admit as much," Mera said. "In your arrogance you, you've forgotten our people aren't perfect either."

Hila's beady glare found its way at the edge of the cell. She looked at Mera with utter hatred burning through her eyes. Mera could tell right now through Hila's eyes things had gone a bit too far. The two sisters looked out for each other.

Tula listened to the sounds of battle outside. Hope sprung eternal in the back of her mind and she really hoped this was the heroes winning.

"Right now, you're making it very difficult for me to make a decision," Hila said. "Should I kill you right now and slowly allow you to bleed out on the floor. Or should I wait until your beloved Atlantis is destroyed. Should I wait to see every last single miserable life in this diseased civilization extinguished?"

Mera stared back at her sister with one of the most defiant glares she could muster. The two of them locked face to face with each other.

"Do what you way, do what you will," Mera said. "I still stand there bold and proud."

Mera hoped her sister kept talking and kept rambling on. Every single second Hila talked, Mera thought about a way to get out of here.

' _Yes, this very well may work, '_ Mera thought. _'Have to be both patient and persistent. If I slip up in any way, this could not end well.'_

Tula looked towards Hila. For a second, she thought Hila was going to break through the cell and strangle Mera for with her bare hands. Another explosion on the outside jolted Tula out of these thoughts and also sent Hila into the opposite direction.

"Excellent," Mera said. "It will distract her and give us ample time to plan an escape."

"Do you have a way out?" Tula asked.

"Give me a moment, although I may not need to, "Mera said.

Mera would have had to play this one by ear. Self-sufficient she had learned to be, the value of allies was essential. And something she needed now.

' _Take a deep breath and focus on what you need to get do,'_ Mera thought. _'Don't only focus on it, but get it done…you know what's on the line.'_

Mera knew what was on the line as well as anyone else. The sounds of battle grew closer and Mera knew someone was about to enter the temple. She braced herself for visitors.

* * *

Lori and Kara crept around on the outside of the temple. They figured trouble would be around the corner. What kind of trouble, neither of them knew. All they could figure out was they should be ready for anything and they would be ready for anything.

"They're likely try and come from this direction," Kara said.

"Yes, I agree," Lori said. "So we'll go that way."

Kara and Lori walked down the hallway on both sides. They slipped past Hila and their guards. If they could get to the throne room, they might have a chance against the invaders.

Two of the invaders made their way down the hallway. Kara's eyes narrowed when the eyes of the two invaders made their way towards them.

' _Well so much for stealth,'_ Kara thought.

Lori crossed her arms and raised a hand. She caused a bombardment of electricity to catch the guards. They doubled over from the attack.

The third guard rushed over and swung the giant staff towards Lori. Kara jumped in front of the staff and caught it in her hands. The two of them struggled back and forth in an attempt to take out their adversary. The Girl of Steel rocked her enemy with a huge elbow strike to the side of the head and caused him to slump over to the ground.

"There's going to be more coming, we better hurry!" Lori yelled.

Kara did not need telling twice. She rushed over towards one of the doors. The Girl of Steel placed a set of hands on either side of the door and tried to yank it open. Only the door had been stuck.

"Allow me," Lori said.

Lori pressed her thumb on the door. The runes etched upon the door glowed to life and swung open to allow Kara and Lori entrance. The two girls slipped inside.

"Well, we're inside…and completely surrounded," Kara said.

Hila and her guards approached Kara and Lori. Kara could not have thought of a worst position to be in and she had a very vivid imagination with things like this. They trained a very high and powerful magic staff on both of the heroines.

"Are there any last words?" Hila asked. "Now, you're here, you can be among the first to see the destruction of Atlantis….."

Several water blasts knocked Hila's guards down onto her back. Kara turned up and one of them screamed. Mera smacked her hands together and sent them flying head over heels until they crashed onto the ground.

The Queen of Atlantis stepped in and looked to kick some ass to take some name. Mera waved her hand and knocked them back with a blast of energy.

"You think you can defeat me," Hila said. "You're nothing, but a fool. Everyone here will turn on you. They only put up a token fight to let me in. You're are an outcast and….."

Mera nailed Hila with a blast of energy to the face. The woman dropped down to both knees. The breath escaped from her body. Hila almost pulled herself to a standing position.

"They might be against me," Mera said. "There's one thing which we have in common. We can't stand you."

The guards moved into position next to their leader. Diana charged back into the room, with Donna close behind. The guards stepped back in terror when they came face to face with the noble Amazon warriors. One of them tried their luck against Diana.

Diana caught her adversary's arm and swung it behind the guard's back. She planted a foot into the back of the goon's leg and dropped him down onto the ground. Another charged her. Diana caught him around the arms in a full nelson and hoisted him up off of the ground. Diana swung the guard like he was a pendulum and knocked them together.

The sides were evening up and the battle lines were drawn. A few more of Mera's guards found their way into the temple and the stand-off proceeded to happen.

"It's just you, and me, Hila!"

Hila rolled over and started to take a deep breath. She could see the two Amazon Princesses walk in with a small amount of guards. Hila reached up and grabbed the staff. The staff formed a dome around her area.

"So, you're hiding again," Mera said. "It's typical. When there's trouble, you go and hide."

"You have little room to talk," Hila said. "And in a moment, you'll be blown away. I have in my hand the key to the destruction."

Some of Hila's soldiers looked at her. The woman's lips curled into a smile.

"My lady, what are you doing?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Taking matters into my own hands," Hila said. "It's the only thing I can do. In a matter of moments, the entire world will be decimated….I didn't want to do it, I had no choice to do it. Mera, I swear, you only have yourself to blame for all what has happened."

Another instance of her sister blaming Mera, why wasn't the Queen of Atlantis surprised at all? The red head queen looked towards her sister. A look of pleading, a look of begging, crossed her face at the same time.

"You don't want to do this," Mera said.

"Oh, we both disagree with this point," Hila said. "If it means you suffering than….."

Kara noticed a small flicker and imperfection in the force field. She would have to time this right or it would be doomed. The Girl of Steel kicked back and rushed through the portal. She charged through and snatched the Doomsday device remote control from Hila's hand.

Hila staggered an inch back and swung her arms. A blood curdling fury spread through the eyes of the under water witch.

"Return it to me at once!" Hila yelled. "You have no idea the power you wield now!"

Kara avoided the blast of energy coming at her. Hila made her honest attempt to take out Kara. She had been drawn out from the other side.

Mera did her thing and rushed forward. Hila and Mera engaged in a brief, and also very spirited struggle. Hila tried to overpower her sister.

"You don't have the strength to beat me!" Hila yelled.

Mera refused to indulge her sister with any more words. The actions of a great monarch would be needed to win this battle. Mera struck hard and fast with an uppercut to the chest. The wind had been knocked out of Hila and doubled her over onto the ground.

"It's over."

Mera took the staff away from Hila and put it at the other woman's throat. Hila stared back up at Mera with burning defiance flashing through her eyes.

"If you have anything left in you, do it," Hila said. "Do it…finish me off."

"You've been finished for a long time," Mera said.

Mera rendered her sister unconscious and dropped down to the ground. The invader had dropped down. Her followers all eyed Mera. A couple of their hands twitched.

"Stand down," Mera said.

Her firm tone caused the guards all to slacken. Seconds passed and the entire group looked nervous with each other. Hila's guards all stepped back in a respectful manner.

Kara watched the authority the Queen of Atlantis exhibited when she talked to these people. Another thought crossed over her mind the more she thought about it.

' _Not sure if it was authority,'_ Kara thought. _'It could be the fact they were almost blown off of the face of the planet just as much as Atlantis or the people of the surface world were.'_

* * *

No one would have faulted Mera if she had retired for the night and left the speech making for another time. The Queen of Atlantis did not go this particular way though. She always wanted to give an example and stand tall and proud.

Several people moved around. Hila's guards had been under the watchful eye of Mera's. The men and women looked very humbled indeed. Both sides carried a lot of mistrust to each other and some old wounds had been brought up when Mera's connection to them had brought back to the forefront. She figured it would be a very long time before trust could be reestablished.

' _One step at a time.'_

Mera took a glimpse at them. All of them looked back at her. Intensity redefined itself. Mera placed both hands firmly and looked down at them. They all looked at her with a combination of relief, mistrust, and curiosity. All of these emotions ran rough shot.

"I know many of you don't trust me," Mera said. "And given the circumstances, all of us can understand why this mistrust has been cultivated."

Mera waited for the agitated mutterings to die down. She figured it would best to allow them to get it all of their chest before something broke big.

"We've been at war with ourselves and from the outside for a long time," Mera said. "This distrust allowed the door to be opened for a doomsday weapon which had been created with the intent to arm ourselves in a last ditch effort to protect ourselves. Doomsday is a proper word for this weapon."

Tula and Lori looked towards Mera. Their Queen really was getting into what she was saying and both girls swallowed as they wondered how they would take this. Hell, the two girls did not know what Mera did one hundred percent of the way. The only thing they knew was it would be for the betterment of all of Atlantis.

"I'm going to be blunt, and say we came too close to destruction today," Mera said. "It's not a mark I want on my reign as Queen and my reign as Queen will continue. But it's time for some changes. We will be more open and more willing to compromise. It will be a challenge. And yes we will prepare for the worst. We are still going to be strong. We're still going to be all we can be and more."

The loud applause cut through the air. Mera waited for the applause to die down before she continued.

"I know many will question my sanity, and others will scream for revolution," Mera said. "Do what you will. If it's my last act as Queen of Atlantis, I make a solemn vow to disable the Doomsday weapon and make sure no one has any use of it. It will be buried in a place where none, including myself can touch it."

Mera spoke in a firm tone and waited for the other shoe to drop. Scorn could have very well followed. It did not. Loud applause followed. Mera listened to it hit hard. A smile spread over the face of the Queen of Atlantis when it continued to go forward.

"Thank you, and once again, I hope we can move beyond this day."

Mera turned around and made a beeline towards the dungeons. There was one last unpleasant piece of business to deal with.

' _Neptune give me strength.'_

Mera walked down the hallway and turned around the corner. She peered inside the cell. The containment field surrounded her sister. Hila's face twisted into a grin.

"So, are you going to put me back in the middle of the Bermuda triangle?" Hila asked. "Or are you just going to execute me for treason this time?"

"I want to know why," Mera said.

"If you haven't figured out why by now, there's nothing I can tell you which can help," Hila said. Her lips curled into a smile.

Mera figured this was the case. She decided to try a different path to talk to her sister.

"You couldn't have broken out of the Bermuda Triangle on your own."

Hila raised her hands up and started a slow clap. The clap continued for a full moment until she responded.

"Her royal highness manages to have some brains in her mind after all," Hila said. "I'd say I'm impressed, but it would be giving you a bit too much credit."

"Who did it?" Mera asked.

Hila hummed a tune underneath her breath.

"You'd do be the biggest favor if you kept me here in this cell," Hila said. "He does not tolerate failure at all. And by failing to secure the weapon, I've failed him."

Hila's lips curled into a wicked smile and she looked back at her sister. The sadistic glint in her eyes made Mera very worried and gave her the impression her sister needed a little bit of help.

"I've failed him," Hila said, as she leaned closer towards Mera. Her face pressed on the other side of the cell. "Failure is not an option with him, isn't it?"

"You've lost your mind," Mera said before she could help herself.

"Maybe I have," Hila said. "Maybe I haven't….regardless of the situation though, you've lost your way. You've lost all of what you can be…and you're going to lose Atlantis and the world. A darkness is coming Mera and I'll be happy when it consumes you and your little friends in the Justice League."

Mera shook her head. This conversation left the Queen of Atlantis with a lot to think about. She came to the unfortunate conclusion some people were beyond help.

* * *

Kara wished she could be more pleased with the fact the day was saved. A large part of her bubbled with pleasure. A smaller, darker, part of her deep down showed this was not to come.

Lori entered the room and Kara smiled when she approached her.

"I'd like to thank you for your help," Lori said. She crossed the room and Kara rose to her feet.

"It wasn't a problem," Kara said.

"You…well it meant a lot…Atlantis for all of its faults is home," Lori said. "I guess where we come from always has a lot of faults. You overlook them because of the sentimental value in them."

Kara got the point from her. She beckoned Lori a little bit closer towards her.

"Diana and Donna are checking out the rebuilt training arena," Kara said. "You know how Amazons are about their training."

Lori laughed in response. She knew all about how the Amazons took their training serious. The mermaid leaned towards Kara.

"I want to thank you a bit more personally," Lori said. Her cheeks reddened at the thought of what she was going to do. "If you don't….."

Kara leaned in and kissed Lori on the lips. Their tongues went to war. Kara pushed her tongue into the depths of Lori's throat and caused her to moan when working the point of her tongue back into the mermaid's throat. Lori's arms wrapped tighter around Kara and pulled her in.

The kiss concluded in a heated matter. Kara smiled and looked into Lori's eyes with a shifty smile over her face.

"Did that answer your question?" Kara asked.

"Yes," Lori said. "We better do it one more time so there's no doubts."

Kara smiled, always going for more. Well, she wasn't about to argue. Kara's lips found the soft lips of Lori. The kiss deepened until a clearing of a throat happened.

"No, don't stop on my account, "Mera said. "Lori does have an excellent idea…we should thank you…and I've already thanked Diana and Donna plenty."

Kara smiled at the visual picture Mera's suggestive words painted.

' _I really wish I would have been present to see the gratitude.'_

The Atlantis Queen approached Kara and kissed her full on the lips. Mera's body caressed Kara's and held her up against them. Both powerful women pressed together.

Tula stepped in and Lori smiled. She beckoned Tula in and the two girls met lip to lip with each other for a sizzling kiss of their own. Tongues danced together with each other.

"And Lori, you should be thanked as well," Mera said. "If it wasn't for your quick thinking, Atlantis may have been doomed."

Lori almost said there was no problem. Mera responded with a heated kiss and brought Lori's senses to a mind blowing degree. Tula and Kara met with each other.

Kara thought it was about ready to get hot deep under the seat, and she had no problem with this. Lori staggered back with a dazed glance in her eyes.

"Here, love, let me steer you in the right direction," Mera said with a playful pinch on Lori's ass.

* * *

 **To Be Continued July 19** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _The invaders are defeated, and disaster for both Atlantis and the Surface World is averted. However, there's more sinister people behind this entire mess, but that sound be expected._

 _Also, Kara has fun with the lovely women of Atlantis. Overall things are heating up in more ways than one._

 _Until Tuesday._


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter of the Week Story Voting At the Blog. Vote For Your Top Three.

* * *

 **Chapter Eighty-Three: One Step Ahead.**

* * *

Kara finished up her trip to Atlantis and made her way to an entirely different place all together. It was out of the way and anyone traveling to the place had to really know where this place had been located before they went towards it. Which was precisely what the point had been, due to all of the security concerns resulting from the location of the previous model.

Claire made a crucial error when she went public with the Fortress of Solitude years ago. She thought at the time it had been a clear reason to take the trust of humanity. She thought transparency had been the best option. Kara knew where Claire had come from and agreed with her in certain circumstances. Other circumstances though, it lead to more headaches and more trouble.

The Fortress had been destroyed in an attempt to keep it out of the hands of Zod many months ago. It took many painstaking days and weeks to rebuild the Fortress from the ground up. Kara held onto hope it would be rebuilt over a certain amount of time. Every step they took ended up being for the distinct purpose of helping rebuilt the Fortress of Solitude and ensuring they would be able to go forward.

It also gave them a handy excuse to move the Fortress to a brand new location. Kara dropped down in the location which ended up being the polar opposite of the sunny and bright Arctic. The Girl of Steel approached it with a frown on her face and pressed a hand to the edge of the gate. An energy blast flashed to light and allowed her inside.

The Tropic sun beat down on the back of Kara's head. She smiled and looked towards the lab area. From the outside, the lab looked rather ordinary. Security defenses surrounded the lab in an attempt to discourage anyone who would intrude. The gates would blister the hands of anyone who did not have the access code.

Kara reached up and removed a crystal key. A second and important layer of security added to the process. She turned the key and had been allowed inside.

The Fortress changed a little bit. The process of cataloging the data ended up being more stream lined and more efficient when Kara stepped inside. The Girl of Steel soaked in the bright light and a smile crossed her face. A figure approached from the other end of the lab and Kara's smile grew even more prominent when she stepped into greater prominence.

"Mother," Kara said.

"Hello, Kara, how are you?" Alura asked.

Alura wrapped her arms around Kara's waist and hugged her daughter. The two of them spent the last several months on and off reacquainting with each other.

"I've just gotten back from an adventure in Atlantis," Kara said. "I figured I'd swing by and see if you needed any help. But, it seems like you don't, the Fortress is running up and about."

"All thanks to Alura," Lara said. She stepped into the picture and moved closer towards Kara.

"It seems like you have some added mobility now," Kara said. "Good, I'm really happy to see it."

Lara smiled. She was happy to be more mobile than ever before. She walked forward and greeted her niece with a tight hug. She kissed Kara light on the forehead and stepped away from her.

"Yes, it was all thanks to your mother," Lara said. "I didn't mind being in one place at once, but….now I'm able to move around to an extent."

"It's going to take a while," Alura said. "Have some patience though and we'll be able to restore the crystals and increase your ability to move about."

"Take your time," Lara said. She raised her hand in the air. "I know how much of a perfectionist you are and I would hate to rush it."

Kara could not say anything. She ducked her head with a smile and turned around to look about the Fortress. She had to say, this particular Fortress looked more stable than the previous version. The older version did not have a lot to sneeze at either. There was just something about this new version which brought a smile to Kara's face.

"Did you want to talk to us about something?" Alura asked. "You came here for a reason other than wanting to look around and seeing if you can help out, didn't you?"

Kara responded with a brief sigh. A mother always knew about these things and Alura stared her in the eye with one of those looks. She figured it would be best to open up and tell her mother everything she could about this entire situation.

"Yes, there's another reason," Kara said. "It has to do with Atlantis….someone released Mera's sister and her followers from the Bermuda triangle and….well someone has souped up Intergang…and then there's Godfrey, and I just feel there's something happening. There's just way too many Crisis events happening at once for this to be a coicidence."

Kara hung her head with a long sigh. Alura reached in and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. As much as Alura would have liked nothing better than to tell Kara everything would be alright, the woman could not tell a lie.

"There is a dark presence," Alura said. "The darkest."

"Darkseid," Kara said.

She turned around a few seconds later. Darkseid popping up never ended up well for anyone. The Girl of Steel wondered what other madness could visit her today.

"Yes, Darkseid," Lara said. "We've had hints of him over the years, but….none more strong than they have."

"And I wouldn't be surprised if some of the members of Intergang are low level followers of Darkseid," Kara said. She snapped her fingers. "Godfrey, of course, Godfrey would also be a follower of Darkseid."

Kara hated to admit it for numerous reasons. Darkseid lurked around every corner and haunted even the Girl of Steel.

Alura reached forward and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. Kara closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths to calm her nerves down.

"Stay strong my daughter," Alura said. "I know you're built to last….it's just going to be your darkest challenge."

Kara thought her mother hit the nail on the end right away. The Girl of Steel resolved to do the best she could. Darkseid and his followers would not break her. Kara would not bend.

She did worry about the fact Darkseid would find a way to come back. Kara needed to be ready. Obsession burned through the mind of the heroine.

* * *

"And again, the League causes more damage than they stop. Why do we allow them to run unchecked? We don't even know who they are. We don't even know whether or not they pay taxes. Superwoman is just dropped into the middle of the country and we expect to just accept her. And the rest of this Justice League is no better. Let's talk about the Amazons for one more minute."

Alexandria Luthor scribbled a note on the slip of paper. No matter how much she detested G. Gordon Godfrey, she listened to every last word she said. One phrase the Luthor family learned time and time again popped out in front of her.

' _Know your enemy and destroy them.'_

"They don't answer to the United Nations," Godfrey said. "And we expect to just sit back and allow them to do what they want to do….because they're a nation of proud warrior women. Well, they have an army and if they wanted to invade the United States tomorrow, they could do it."

Alexa moved through a file and frowned. One thought crossed over her mind.

' _If they wanted to invade the United States tomorrow, you're doing a wonderful job of agitating them.'_

Alexa sighed. You give some people the medium to spew their drivel and they would spew it all day long. She could have listened to him a lot longer and found a million bullshit things he said. The advertisement break mercifully cut him off.

His regular online rants at his blogs got twice the attention he did and there were people who would support him. These were the same types of people who would wipe out entire countries just to catch a few extremists, so Alexa did not really pay them much mind.

A knock on the door had raised Alexa's gaze from her work.

"Yes, Mercy, please come in."

Mercy Graves stepped into the room and walked towards her boss. The woman's gaze fell towards her.

"Godfrey?" Mercy asked.

"Yes, unfortunately, he remains on the air," Alexa said. "He's the highest rated personality in all of Metropolis….despite having the personality of a dead fish."

Mercy wrinkled her nose as if something foul had been stepped in. She came eye to eye with Alexa. Alexa smiled and beckoned Mercy closer towards her desk.

"Yes, Mercy, what do you want to talk about?" Alexa asked.

"Well, I wondered….wouldn't you have the power to get him off of the air if you chose to?" Mercy asked.

Alexa did not have anything to say right away. She reached over and fixed herself a cup of coffee. The hybrid clone daughter of Claire Kent and Lex Luthor stared down at Mercy for a couple of minutes. Her bodyguard sat down on the desk the moment Alexa pushed a cup of coffee in front of her.

"Freedom of speech," Alexa said. "Sadly, it protects the ignorant as well as the enlightened."

Mercy responded with a nod. As usual, her boss had this tendency to hit the nail on the head in the most blunt and painful manner possible.

"Godfrey thinks he's one, but we both know he's the other," Alexa said. "And he brings in the big ratings and big dollars, and he can be used to get across whichever agenda the politicians in this country are attempting to get out this week."

"Does he really believe what he says?" Mercy asked.

Alexa thought this was more than a fair enough question. She pondered this thought for a moment while drinking a long cup of coffee.

"It's hard to say, but he's the voice of the ignorant for today," Alexa said. "While I do concur people should be held accountable, the way he's going about it with his hate mongering and his fear mongering is an utterly ignorant way to do so."

Alexa took another long drink of coffee. She set it down with grace having drained the cup. A slight "hmm" came out of her mouth.

"It's unfortunate someone couldn't go on his show and rebut his every point," Mercy said.

Alexa's lips curled into a smile.

"Mercy, it may work," Alexa said. "I'm going to have to pull some strings to get everything in order."

All Alexa needed to do was make the right arrangements to appear on Godfrey's program. He could not turn her down without looking bad in the eyes of his viewers. At the same time, Alexa thought someone as shrewd, sneaky, and slimy as Godfrey would have had a pretty good idea what letting someone like Alexa Luthor on his program would amount to.

Being the long lost twin sister of Lex Luthor had its fair share of advantages and Alexa intended to exploit every single one of those advantages to its fullest. If she made Godfrey look like a fool, so be it.

* * *

Maggie Sawyer found herself at the top of the roof of Metropolis. Now, the Captain of the MCU, she needed to know what she needed to go to.

"Well, this works for the Olsen kid, so I'm sure it will work for me," Maggie said.

She pressed a button in the watch and a second later, Superwoman turned up on the rooftop. Supergirl dropped down on the rooftop next to her as well.

"Captain Sawyer," Supergirl said.

"You wanted to see us?" Superwoman asked.

"Yes," Maggie said. "I know the two of you have had to endure the brunt of a lot of heat over the past few months. The public opinion has not been the best, and I'm feeling my share of the burn."

The two Kryptonian cousins locked eyes with each other. Neither knew what to say at this point. Kara decided to jump forth in the line.

"Detective, I'm….."

"Please don't apologize," Maggie said. "The MCU always will have it's problems with public opinion. If we don't catch the criminals, we're not doing our jobs. If it we do catch them, it's because we're supposed to do our job. If there's one thing I've learned in all of my years in the force, it's that."

Kara wrapped herself up so much in her own super power issues, she neglected to acknowledge the fact the MCU had many of the same issues. It could have been the fact Godfrey did not hammer them as vigorous as Supergirl, Superwoman, or the Justice League in general.

"The city does have a necessity for super powered protectors, especially these days," Maggie said. "I don't necessarily like it, but I don't think I could have picked two better people than Supergirl and Superwoman."

The two Kryptonian cousins smiled in response. The Woman of Steel stared down Maggie.

"Yes, I agree, I wish there wasn't a necessity for us either," Claire said.

"And we're glad we have a second chance with you…or is it a third chance by this point?" Maggie asked.

Claire answered with a swift little shrug. She had forgotten to keep track of how many chances she had been on. Death had been a fascinating little trip for her and now she was back to life.

"I have some news on the Intergang front the two of you may be interested in."

Supergirl perked up a little bit. After the last beating, she ached for another round with Intergang.

"There's been a quiet break in….the lab was reluctant to report it," Maggie said. "I wasn't too impressed as you might have thought…they waited a couple of days before they caved in and reported the robbery."

Kara could have lifted a hand to her head and introduced it to her face in the most epic of epic facepalms. They waited these many days to report a robbery like this. Kara could have only began to guess how much lead time they would have lost.

"What did they steal?" Supergirl asked.

Maggie consulted the notes she had managed to dig up from the lab. Trying to get these people to part with any information was about as productive as getting blood from a turnip.

"Solar power cells," Maggie said. "They can hold about as much energy as the two of you on a good day."

The two Kryptonian cousins wondered exactly what kind of use they could have for something like this. A couple of different scenarios entered Kara's mind.

"I've thought of a couple of things, but they don't fit Darkseid," Kara said.

"Darkseid?" Maggie asked. "He's behind this."

"All indications point to yes," Claire said. "And yes, you don't even have to say it, we thought he was gone as well. You just can't keep someone like him in the ground."

"No, I'd imagine not," Maggie said. She frowned a bit deeper and sighed. "The two of you should watch out for yourselves….."

Maggie paused and heard something buzzing in her pocket. She picked up the communicator.

"Hello?" Maggie asked. "Turpin, really…I'll be there…..in about five minutes. Just hold tight and don't do anything irrational. More than you usually do anyway."

The life of an MCU Captain had all kinds of challenges and Maggie ran head long into one of the more frustrating aspects of being an MCU Captain. Dan Turpin, who she thought would mellow out because of his promotion.

' _Way too much to hope for,'_ Maggie thought.

"This isn't something the two of you can help me with," Maggie said. "I'll talk to you later."

Claire and Kara watched the Major Crimes Unit Captain make good time the moment she descended from the stairs. The two of them locked eyes with each other a half of a second later.

"So, what do you think?" Claire asked.

"I think a lot," Kara said. "These solar power cells, the Quantum Core…who knows what else they have their sights on….."

Claire nodded. She only could imagine. The Woman of Steel checked her watch.

"Late for a hot date?" Kara teased her cousin.

"Actually, yes," Claire said. "I was supposed to meet Lois, we're working on a story together. It's about Intergang, and their renewed presence. And trying to figure out whether or not Morgan Edge has fallen back into his old habits."

"Be careful, Claire," Kara said. "He might hit you with something more powerful than Kryptonite. His overpriced attorneys."

Claire responded with a nervous laugh. Kara had a couple of things to do as well. Both of them parted ways to see what they would do.

' _The more questions I have asked, the less answers I get,'_ Kara thought. _'It's pretty infuriating when you think about it.'_

* * *

Granny Goodness rubbed her hands together. A jubilant feeling spread through the face of the woman. Several young men and women followed her.

"Now, everyone, keep up, you wouldn't want to break your poor Granny's heart, what you?" Granny asked.

They followed her like the good little puppets they were. Granny marched them forward like the soldiers they were. She would need an ample amount of manpower when going forward.

A figure approached them at the end. She dressed in purple robes. These robes hung off her body. A soft and elegant face had been revealed along with some brown curls. She approached Granny with a dastardly smile spreading over her face.

"Grace," Granny said.

"Granny," she said.

The two women exchanged a rather formal handshake with one and other. The tension rocked both of them. They normally did not get along under many circumstances. For the greater good and for the fear of their master, little choice had been given.

"I've received information, the security turnover will happen in the next hour," the woman known as Grace said. "This would be the proper opportunity for us to get in and get out."

Granny's grin turned to the point where even Grace shuddered. Grace had been more of a fan of subtle manipulation. Granny was a fan of torture and torment. She built up people, only to break them down and further build them up in her own image. The wicked woman stepped forward.

"Excellent, excellent, everything is going together as planned," Granny said. "You will have a spot in this new order when it has been established."

"Yes," Grace said. She cupped the area underneath her chin and smiled. "We will be rewarded once he is brought back. Although I'm at a loss to the master's plan."

A long pause followed when Granny stared Grace down. Grace took half of a step back. The woman showcased the instincts which she had been known for.

"The plan will be revealed the moment you and the rest will need to know it," Granny said. "Just know you and your brother will both continue with your plans. And your brother's manipulations have done a satisfactory job in showing the world their saviors have a dark side."

Grace frowned when she turned around. Glorious was good for manipulation through mudslinging. She favored a softer touch.

"Three minutes," Grace said.

"Excellent," Granny said in a giddy tone of voice. "Everything is on schedule as it should be. Soon, we will have everything we want."

Grace could tell through the glee through her eyes Granny anticipated this. These followers were barely children.

' _Best to start them young,'_ Grace thought. _'Given them more than enough room to be built up to our own image.'_

Grace made her move and walked towards the guard. He was a younger man, not hardened to the ways of the world. A few subtle words would make him hardened in other ways.

"Hello, sir, could you help me?" Grace asked.

Her robes shifted off of her and showed a hint of her elegant neck and cleavage. The red curls came down and framed her. The man's eyes drifted to the most obvious point.

"M'am, maybe you didn't see the signs, but this is a restricted….mmm…area….."

Grace reached in and caressed his chest.

"My brother works here, and I need a big strong man to help me," she said. "Do you think you can guide me to Lab Nineteen?"

The man tried to think about why he should not let this gorgeous creature head towards Lab Nineteen. He could not think of it.

"Of course," the guard said.

He turned the key into the hole. The moment he unlocked the lab, Granny zapped him from behind with the staff. Grace turned towards her.

"What this really necessary when I had him in the palm of my hand," Grace asked.

"Not necessary, merely satisfying," Granny said. "There it is."

The ghastly figure stuck out like a sore thumb in the tank. Grace's lips curled into one of the more wicked smiles imaginable. Chalk white skin, and power personified, and he had been sealed away, collecting dust in the lab. With a couple of tweaks, he could be someone who could destroy Superwoman and get her out of the way.

"Don't just stand there lollygagging," Granny said. "Collect the tank."

Her children nodded in response and prepared to collect the tank. Granny frowned. Time was of the essence. The security turned over within the next ten minutes and if they were not out of there, they were sunk.

' _Be calm, be still,'_ Granny thought to herself.

She would have all she wanted and then some more before it was all said and done.

* * *

"Well, our new security system has to be better than the old one," Patricia said. "We worked on this one for a long time….if you want to test it….."

"Of course, I want to test it," Kara said.

She wanted to do the very best she could to help STAR Labs in their time of need. She followed Patricia Swann and Caitlin Snow down the corridors. Both of them showed Kara what they had been working on and the security system they had built.

"So, how are you doing?" Kara asked. "Both of you actually."

"We should be asking you the question," Caitlin said. "You look like you've run yourself ragged."

Kara responded with a light frown.

"Really, is it that obvious I'm running myself ragged?" Kara asked.

Caitlin smiled and put her thumb and her forefinger together to demonstrate what she meant for Kara. The smile crossed over her face.

"Just a tiny bit," Caitlin said. "Not by too much, just by a tiny bit."

Kara smiled. The entire Intergang thing made her lose a little bit of sleep. Regardless of the frustration she experienced and there was an ample amount of it, she needed to get it together. And by getting it together, she needed to turn her attention towards Patricia.

"So, you had a theory about what they were doing with the Quantum Core?" Kara asked.

"Well, this is just a theory," Patricia said. "The person who created it thought with an ample amount of power they could punch a hole through time and space where they could travel anywhere they want."

To say, Kara had been dismayed by this news would be putting things a bit mildly.

"They would have to have an ample amount of power, though," Caitlin said.

"They stole power cells recently which have the capabilities to store solar energy, even greater than what Clara and I can," Kara said.

The two scientists looked grim. Kara could sense the gears grinding in their minds as they tried to figure out where to go next.

"The good news is there's a chance this won't work," Caitlin said. "The bad news is….well there's a chance they're going to try anyway and create a black hole which will consume all life on Earth."

Kara could not help, and think this is what Darkseid wanted to begin with. Thoughts entered Kara's mind and started to darken in the worst possible way.

The buzzing in her head had hit her hard.

"Just one second," Kara said. "Yes, Chloe, what is it?"

"Patient B has been stolen," Chloe said.

This news caused Kara's blood to run colder than it ever had. If Intergang had gotten their hands on an unstable and genderbent, along with just bent in general, clone of her cousin, there is hard telling what they could do.

"Well, Intergang just found Lex's Frankenstein's Monster," Kara said to Patricia and Caitlin.

This news went about over as well with both of them, especially since it took a lot of work and some rare blue Kryptonite to put the beast into containment.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on July 22** **nd** **, 2016.**

 _Well, a mostly transition chapter, although some things are set up for the future. And things are about to go a bit Bizarro._

 _Until Friday._


	84. Chapter 84

**Chapter Eighty-Four: Bizarro Am Superwoman.**

* * *

Lois Lane's sense for danger and excitement hit in the worst possible way, at the worst possible time, with the giddiness and anticipation hitting a brand new level for the reporter. She heard of the rumor of a break in at this government facility. The nature of this facility skewed around the very hush-hush type of variety. Lois knew if she was going to get in, she would have to have her wits about herself.

The facility did not look like anyone forced their way in. Red flag already shot up in the back of Lois's mind when she approached the facility. Whoever did this had some people on the inside.

' _I'm going to have to get some answers,'_ Lois thought. _'Oh, here comes trouble.'_

An attractive brunette approached Lois. The moment she realized who she came face to face with, she frowned and walked closer towards the other brunette.

"Excuse me, this is a restricted area," she said. "I don't care who you are, you can't just walk in here like that."

Business like, calm, and cold, so very cold, cold to the point where Lois shuddered at the thought of how cold it was. She stood the ground in front of the person in front of her and frowned.

"Really, Lucy, your own sister?"

The younger sister of Lois, Lucy Lane, dressed in a uniform which showed her status. She wasn't the highest person on the base by any means. She had people above her to answer to. Still, she had a certain amount of authority to Lois which she relished in and enjoyed having.

"Lois, I don't care who you are, the rules apply the same, even for you," Lucy said.

Lois sensed a distinct "so fuck you" burning on the tip of Lucy's tongue. The younger Lane sister managed not to say it in response.

"Lucy, is this about….."

"It's not about the countless things you've done when we were both children, or the fact you tried to exert your authority over me when it wasn't necessary," Lucy said.

' _Hmm, I have a feeling this is what it's all about,'_ Lois thought. _'The very least you could be is a bit more transparent with it, Lucy. Please, don't….well don't do this.'_

"This is a matter of national security, plain and simple," Lucy said. "We don't want to cause a panic and all the public needs to know one thing and one thing only; we're getting the breach under control."

Lois could see the PR spin in Lucy's voice. She worked in the press often enough and for long enough to realize when she was getting the public relations spiel. Lois almost felt sorry for Lucy.

A figure approached them faster than a speeding bullet. Both Lane sisters looked up in time to see Supergirl drop on the ground next to them.

"Hello, Supergirl," Lois said. "I think you're here for the same reason I am…this is my sister Lucy."

Lois remembered while Lucy and Kara met a couple of years ago, less than a handful of times, Lucy and Supergirl had not. She felt like a scorecard was needed to keep the results of all of these meetings together.

"Hello, Supergirl," Lucy said. "There's no need for you to be here….we have the situation under control."

Those chilling blue eyes met Lucy's. The military official took half of a step back and swallowed when she had been given a searching glare.

"Control is a funny word, isn't it?" Kara asked. "Maybe you should tell me why you had LuthorCorp property the government swore up and down they would have destroyed."

"I'm curious about that as well."

The limo pulled up and Alexa stepped out of the limo and made a beeline towards Lucy. The long lost twin sister of Lex Luthor met the gaze of the younger sister of Lois Lane.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you this information," Lucy said in a small voice.

Alexa responded with one of those raised eyebrows which indicated she was giving Lucy a searching expression. She decided to step forward.

"You can't because you don't want to?" Alexa asked. "You can't because you've been ordered not to? Or you can't because you have no idea what's going on, and you've been sent here to do PR clean up."

Lucy's posture shifted and Lois looked at her sister and then to Alexa before she moved her gaze back to her sister.

' _Leave it to a Luthor to make everything all awkward,'_ Lois thought with a smile crossing over her face.

"I'm afraid I don't have any idea which of the three you mean," Alexa said. "And I had hoped you would clarify the situation for me….unless of course you don't have the authority to."

Lucy grew red around the cheeks. She hated being made to look weak, especially when her older sister was nearby. Alexandria Luthor reprimanded her like a naughty schoolgirl. The fact she did so in front of Lois made Lucy a slight bit more agitated.

"Don't bother to answer, because I know it already," Alexa said. "Do me a favor and get me a meeting with your superiors. I want to have a discussion with them regarding their lazy handling of my company's rejected experiments."

If her brother's Frankenstein creation would be out in the open, the burden fell into LuthorCorp to take the monster down. Alexa would be remiss if she did not do something about it in her own way.

"I'll get them the message, and see what I can do," Lucy said.

* * *

Superwoman cringed the moment Chloe gave him the information regarding the liberation of Patient B. Bizarro wasn't even, just misguided and his mind worked in a way which many would consider less than conventional.

"On the bright side, it won't be too hard to find….."

Claire's words cut off at the sound of a fist smashing through a wall. She noticed the chalk white bulky man smash through the wall at a rapid fire rate.

"Bizarro!" Claire yelled. "What are you doing?"

"Me am fixing wall," Bizarro said. He continued to smash the wall. "Bizarro am doing good job and putting crystal vials back in vault."

Claire knew she was not going to reason with him right now. Bizarro continued to hammer away at the vault with a few rapid fire swings and punches.

"Me am doing good, me have almost got wall back up…"

Superwoman grabbed Bizarro around the arm. Bizarro turned around and flung Superwoman halfway across the street like he was nothing.

' _Yeah, I forgot he doesn't know his own strength,'_ Superwoman said. She could feel an ache going through the back of her head and the ribs were sore as well. _'This is going to suck.'_

The sound of a smash indicated Bizarro had put the building down.

"There we go, building all fixed now!"

Claire rose up to her feet with a groan. She hoped everyone got out from inside the building. Otherwise there would be some other problem on her head. The Girl of Steel rose to her feet and drew in a deep breath. She stopped for a minute to remind herself Bizarro had the mental maturity of a three year old. A three year old who had her super powers and could be destructive.

' _Here goes nothing.'_

The Woman of Steel scrambled to a standing position and flew towards Bizarro. Bizarro turned around in time to get punched in the face by Superwoman. He landed head over heals with a loud thud where he smashed into the ground.

The monster rose up to a standing position and snarled when he faced his counterpart.

"Bizarro am happy to see Superwoman!" Bizarro growled. "Bizarro give Superwoman hug."

The cracked clone dove towards Claire with hands stretched out. She gasped the second Bizarro wrapped his large hands around her throat and squeezed. Superwoman struggled in an attempt to push Bizarro away from her. Any attempt to escape his grip had turned out to be futile and for the worst.

' _No, can't let him….no.'_

Superwoman wrenched his arms up and hoisted him into the air. She punted the double into the air and caused him to launch into the air. Superwoman jumped into the air, grabbed Bizarro and propelled him further away from the civilization.

Whatever he tried to steal, Superwoman needed to keep it out of Bizarro's hands. The two of them landed down on the ground. Bizarro rolled over to his feet.

"Stop!" Superwoman yelled.

"Bizarro am stopped!" Bizarro yelled.

He rushed forward and nailed Superwoman in the face. The figure grabbed Superwoman and hurled her into the ground. She toppled over a statue built of herself in the middle of the park. She picked up the S Shield hooked to the statue and blocked the fire breath attack.

The metal melted in Superwoman's hand and started to vibrate. He wrenched his arm forward in an attempt to hit her. The Woman of Steel dodged the attack and caused him to stumble down to the ground. Bizarro lifted a foot and stomped it on the ground. A miniature Earthquake erupted around them and caused the citizens in Metropolis to scream in horror.

"Superwoman keep moving!" Bizarro yelled.

He shot ice vision towards her. Superwoman lifted her hands and blocked it. The ice beams pushed back and nailed Bizarro in the face. The worst case of brain freeze ever had been created among the abomination.

"Bizarro, I do want to hurt you!" Superwoman yelled, remembering the backwards logic the creature ran off of every time she fought him.

"Superwoman tell truth to Bizarro!"

Bizarro rushed towards Superwoman one more time. She dodged the attack and came back around. A punch nailed him in the crooked S shield. More punches knocked Bizarro back.

"Who locked you up?" Superwoman demanded.

"Granny Lady and her army locked Bizarro up," Bizarro said. "They say Superwoman am Bizarro's friend."

One of Claire's worst fears came to life. Granny Goodness was the one who riled up Bizarro and broke him out. Everything was starting to come to her. Bizarro would be a huge tool for them to use and she could already see the darkness burning through the monster's eyes.

"No, Bizarro, I am…your enemy!" Superwoman yelled.

"Superwoman tell truth!" Bizarro yelled.

Bizarro was more confused and more enraged than ever before. His fist planted in the side of Superwoman's face and forced her down onto the ground. Blood poured from the mouth of the Woman of Steel the more she struggled up to her feet. Bizarro grabbed her by the back of the head and slammed Claire face first into the pavement.

' _Not as bad as the time I fought Doomsday, not by a longshot,'_ Superwoman thought. The stabbing pain went through the back of her head. _'Still not a picnic though.'_

Bizarro wrapped his beefy hand around the head of Superwoman. His sweaty, slimy palm pressed against Superwoman's face. She kicked and scratched as much as she could. His strength had been enhanced.

' _They must have put him under some kind of experiment or something,'_ Claire thought. _'There's only one thing to do to get out of here, I'm not going to like it. Sorry, Clark.'_

Her eyes heated up with heat vision and knocked Bizarro back a couple of feet. Claire rose to her feet and wiped the blood from her mouth. The Woman of Steel launched behind Bizarro and grabbed him around the neck. One thumb pressed onto his pressure point. A howl came out of the throat of Bizarro.

"Superwoman am brave!" Bizarro yelled. He kicked up and moved around in a dazed manner.

A low level sonic shrill sound caused Bizarro to drop to his knees. The misunderstood abomination staggered and Superwoman caught sight of what the problem was.

A small metal flea stock to the back of Bizarro's head. She heard a subtle transmitter coming from it. The transmitter must have relayed messages back to home base or maybe messages to Bizarro.

"Make it stop!"

Bizarro ripped a large piece of pavement out of the sidewalk and hurled it towards Superwoman. She blocked it before it rammed into the heads of several unfortunate civilians. The Woman of Steel wondered what could happen next.

' _I'd say this couldn't get any worse,'_ Superwoman said. _'I'm not that stupid though.'_

Bizarro jumped into the sky and flew off into the opposite direction. He went somewhere, but where. Superwoman followed as close behind as possible. The last thing she wanted was Bizarro out in the wild.

* * *

Amanda Waller filed away some papers on her desk. The sound of a curtain opening caused her to only gave a courtesy glance up. Supergirl standing in front of the desk, with the heroine touching her hands to her hips in the typical heroic pose.

"So, what do you have to say for yourself?" Supergirl asked.

"I'd say I need better locks," Waller said without looking up from her paper. "So what brings you to my humble little corner of the world….no wait, it's obvious….you think I have all of the answers for a little problem you've been encountering."

Supergirl heard Waller's tone. She was calm and cool. Something about the tone sounded a bit off and Kara resolved to get to the bottom of it.

"Did you or did you not liberate Bizarro after he was captured?" Supergirl asked. "He sounds like the type of thing Cadmus would love to get their greedy little mits on."

Waller reached across her desk and placed her hand on the cup of coffee. Calm described her expression when she took a drink from the coffee cup. A long and surveying expression followed when she studied those intent blue eyes. So much sorrow, and so much determination, and the weight of the world put on her shoulders, led to a combustible element. Waller spent some time understanding why heroes did what they did, and she figured they had much in common.

"Cadmus had nothing to do with this," Waller said. "Contrary to popular belief, Cadmus, Argus, and anything else I run does not control every single thing in the world."

Kara folded her arms and looked at Waller. The look of disbelief spread over the face of the Girl of Steel. The two of them looked at each other.

"If you must know, I share your concern about the people who are studying Bizarro," Waller said. "I have reason to believe there are individuals who come from Apokolips who have infiltrated the government."

The Girl of Steel leaned back a second later. She raised an eyebrow in response.

"I'm only going off on mere suspicion," Waller said. "I don't have any idea how true this is, if anything I say is happening. Although I think you know deep down given the discontent regarding superheroes, especially you and your cousin, it's obvious something will be going down."

Kara nodded in response. The Girl of Steel wondered what to go to next. She eyed Waller in a calm and collected manner.

"You have a way to take down Bizarro in case he had gotten free, don't you?" Kara asked.

"We have ways to take down most of the super powered crowd," Waller said. "Yes, though…there's a way to take down your cousin down there as well, and also Bizarro. The last piece of Blue Kryptonite we have is down in the middle of Vault Nineteen. And there's a cannon as well….all you need to do is switch out the Green Kryptonite with the Blue Kryptonite and you can take him down."

"Will this kill him?" Kara asked.

"You will need to think about your priorities," Waller said. "Do you want to let some monster run amuck on the world just because of morality? The way the world is changing means both you and your cousin are going to have to make some harder choices. Before someone makes those hard choices for you."

Kara wanted to argue. There was really no time and no point for her to argue. She turned towards Waller and nodded.

"Thank you," Kara said.

The stern expression of Waller locked onto her. "Don't thank me yet, Supergirl."

* * *

Lucy Lane walked out into the middle of the danger zone. A crater smoked on the ground. She had no idea what to make of this. The people she worked for refused to give her any information and this caused Lucy a great deal of agitation to the point where she gritted her teeth.

' _I really wish someone would tell me what is going on here,'_ Lucy thought.

There were times where Lucy felt like she was a pawn in some kind of power struggle behind the scenes. She made a couple of calls and was now on the phone.

"What are you doing to get him in?" Lucy asked. "What do you mean you're taking care of it? Well, you better take care of it a bit more, if you want to not enrage the public. You know how my sister is….yes, I told her what you told me, but it doesn't make it any less true….fine, call me back."

Lucy almost dropped the cell phone down on the ground. She turned around and some men walked forward. They armed themselves.

"You're not going to use bullets to try and take down a clone of Superwoman, are you?" Lucy asked.

None of them said anything. Lucy could see this was not going to end well. She looked up into the sky and noticed something flying through the sky at the speed of light.

Everyone jumped in in surprise at the sound of Superwoman smashing into the ground. The Woman of Steel rolled over and tried to climb to a standing position. She turned around to the military who all looked at her.

"Stand aside, we'll take care of this."

The ringing echoed through the back of Claire's head. She did not think they could take care of this. No matter how much Claire wanted to humor them.

"Bizarro help Superwoman!"

The chalk-white skinned man jumped high into the sky and came down. The entire ground shook over the top of Claire. Claire rolled over onto her back and started to breath in and out. Bizarro rushed towards her. Superwoman dodged out of the way and Bizarro smashed into one of the tanks which had been rolled out.

Bizarro hoisted up the tank and threw it towards the military who had no choice other than to scatter. Terror spread through their eyes.

"Bizarro, listen, you have to…."

Bizarro reared his head back and gave an agonizing scream. Those hands swung around and moved back and forth. Superwoman jumped back a couple of inches and avoided Bizarro's swing when he tried to take her out.

"Bizarro heal Superwoman and make wonderful noise start!" Bizarro yelled. "Bizarro hug Superwoman!"

"Fire!"

The bullets bombarded Bizarro. True to Lucy's prediction, the bullets had connected to the monster and he shrugged them off. The creature's arms swung back and a hideous roar followed. Bizarro used his fire breath to send the troops scattering in different directions before he turned his full attention towards Lucy Lane.

"Bizarro help pretty lady!" Bizarro yelled.

He charged towards Lucy who thought this was the end. A blur shot out of nowhere and scooped Lucy out of the way before Bizarro could smash her into the ground.

Lucy shook her head in an attempt to clear the thoughts which rattled through her mind. Her entire life flashed before her and also Supergirl did. Supergirl dropped down to the ground to face Bizarro.

Kara hoped these quick modifications worked to take Bizarro. She did not have too much time to fiddle with them. She turned the energy cannon towards Bizarro and pulled the trigger.

"Supergirl hit Bizarro with energy cannon!" Bizarro roared.

"Just what the doctor ordered," Supergirl said.

Supergirl pulled the trigger one more time and bombarded Bizarro with the blue Kryptonite radiation. It dropped him to the ground. Bizarro staggered and tried to attack her. Supergirl pulled the trigger one more time and nailed him in the chest one more time.

"Help Bizarro!" Bizarro yelled.

Supergirl pulled the trigger one more time and fired it. The creature's skin burned the second the radiation passed through the "S" shield. He screamed in agony and tried to pull himself up to a standing position. He collapsed down to the ground.

' _Okay, finish this now.'_

Would Supergirl pull the trigger? She hesitated for a moment. Something she rarely did under any circumstances. The words Waller said resounded in the back of her head. It was something she needed to do, no question about it. A deep breath came out and she paused for the longest of seconds. The finger kept on the trigger and was about ready to fire at her adversary.

"Kara, wait," Claire said. "You can't kill him."

"Claire, I know….we're going to…we may have no choice."

Claire placed her hand on Kara's shoulder for a long moment. She turned around and lifted the broken and battered form of Bizarro off of the ground. He was knocked out and hanging to life. The same stasis chamber which kept Claire functional until she could resurrect herself would keep him alive.

"We're going to need answers," Claire said. "And there's answers somewhere in his backwards mind. They might have said something, or done something which can help us."

Kara thought about it. She thought her cousin made a lot of sense here, as much as she hated to admit it.

"Well, we have no choice, do we?" Kara asked. "I hope this isn't a bad idea which ends up screwing us over in the future."

* * *

Kara returned back to the penthouse under her civilian identity. There was some confusion regarding Bizarro. Even more confusion had reigned supreme when Superwoman picked up her demented clone and sprinted him off. Kara crossed her fingers it was worth it.

' _Then again, I don't think our public image could be any worse if we tried,'_ Kara thought. _'I've been proven wrong before, but, I don't think we can hit further bottom.'_

A heavy heart and an even heavier mind caused Kara to turn the key into the lock and make her way into the room. Kara turned the lights on to see Lucy sitting in the living room.

"I'm pretty sure breaking and entering is even forbidden by the United States military," Kara said.

"Yes, I know," Lucy said. She smiled. "Chloe let me in when I met her….I insisted….don't blame her though….."

Kara was going to take Lucy's word for it for now. The younger of the two Lane sisters crossed the room and walked towards Kara.

"Thank you for saving me out there today," Lucy said.

"You're…you knew?" Kara asked.

She had been caught off guard. Lucy responded with a nod and reached forward to place a hand on top of Kara's.

"I figured out before Lois did, but….I'm good at keeping a secret, I'm more subtle than she is," Lucy said. "Of course, I'm not saying Lois is not subtle when she wants to be. It's just she rarely wants to be."

"Did I hear you right?" Kara asked. "Did you just say a positive thing about your sister?"

"If you tell her, I'll deny it until I'm blue in the face," Lucy responded with a cheeky little smirk. She pushed herself closer to Kara. "Seriously though, thank you for saving me…and I won't even ask why your cousin flew off to God knows where with Bizarro."

"Well, it depends on if you keep a secret," Kara said.

"I've kept your secret identity for five years without saying anything, didn't I? "Lucy asked. "What do you have to tell me?"

Kara teetered on the edge of some forbidden and quite dangerous information.

"Apokolips has infiltrated the government."

Lucy's moisture left out of her mouth the moment Kara said it. Her eyes widened. Come to think of it, it did make too much sense. She had been blinded by her own duties; Lucy did not even begin to consider some of her bosses might be answering to some higher and darker power.

"It's….well it makes a lot of sense," Lucy said. "I'll take a look into it…"

"Be careful," Kara said. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

Lucy responded with a nod and a smile. She appreciated the sentiment coming from Lois. The two of them inched closer together.

The door swung open and Lois entered the room. "Hey Kara….."

The two Lane sisters locked eyes with each other for a couple of moments. They acknowledged the presence of each other and Lucy backed off.

"I just remembered, I have to get going, it was nice seeing you again, Kara," Lucy said.

Kara watched Lucy leave. She could sense Lois frowning when looking over her shoulder.

"Is it just me, or do I have the worst timing whatsoever?"

* * *

 **To Be Continued on July 26** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _Well Bizarro am not interesting in this chapter. Bizarro am not unique to write. Bizarro make half of this chapter not be headache to write._

 _Okay, I'll stop that._

 _So, some devious goings on going on. Oh, and another "LL" girl. Can't you just feel the sisterly love in the air?_

 _Until Tuesday._


	85. Chapter 85

My usual chapter of the week poll is up at the blog. Vote for your top three favorite chapters of last week.

* * *

 **Chapter Eighty-Five: Those Part Sparks Part One.**

* * *

Chloe Sullivan slipped into the Daily Planet for one of her weekly trips to the newspaper. Despite the fact she worked with the Blog and could do it at the comfort of her own apartment, Perry White still wanted to talk to her every so often. The meetings were brief, just a method to check up on her every now and again. Chloe moved around and saw Lois out of the corner of her eye. Lois only barely acknowledged Chloe with a wave and made her way to the elevator.

' _And sometimes, I swear she's the one faster than a speeding bullet,'_ Chloe thought. She turned around and almost bumped into someone.

"Lana, hey!" Chloe yelled.

"Hey, Chloe….I was hoping to run into you here….I was here to talk to Claire but….she's out to do what she does," Lana said. "There's a pretty big story, you know."

"Oh, I'm sure there is," Chloe said.

She could tell by the sound of sirens there was trouble. The Daily Planet Office was at its busiest for the pre-lunch hour. All of the criminals decided to use their lunch hour to cause trouble. Chloe dubbed it the lunch rush of crime which made her frown.

' _The city that never sleeps,'_ Chloe thought.

"Do you have a minute?" Lana asked. "Maybe we can get a cup of coffee and get caught up…it would be just like old times again."

"Careful, Lana, you don't want to get too hung up on nostalgia," Chloe said.

Lana smiled. The times where she thought back to Smallville pointed to a more simple time. Then again, could not be all that simple considering all of the trouble she went through during those days. Still, it was a part of who she was.

"Still, it would be one of the better points in the pointless nostagalia," Lana said. "Besides, I'll be buying."

"Well, you twisted my arm," Chloe said.

The two of the made their way outside of the Daily Planet building and walked down. Chloe had a few questions regarding Lana. She had disappeared out of all of their lives about five years ago, with some phone calls and some letters. Then the phone calls and the letters became few and far between, until they were non-existent. And then Lana returned and stuck around.

' _You are an enigma, Lana Lang,'_ Chloe thought.

The two of them crossed the street with each other and made their way in. Lana moved over to order. They waited a couple of minutes for the coffee to come over. Lana smiled and turned around to put the coffee in Chloe's hands.

"Here you go, piping hot, just like how you like it," Lana said. "This is how you like it right?"

"Lana, trust me, there are some things which never change," Chloe said. "Let's get a good seat. You want one out of the way ,don't you?"

"That might be for the best," Lana said with a smile.

The two of them walked over and took a seat in the front of the club. They noticed a fire engine go down the street and the flames get put out . Lana grinned and turned back to Chloe.

"She's always there, you can never keep track of her," Lana said. "Good thing she has people like you to prop her up when she falls down."

Chloe took a moment to drink the coffee which Lana ordered for her. She drank in the coffee and smiled.

"She fell pretty hard when she lost her powers," Chloe said. "I guess her rebirth signified something where she rose from the ashes."

Lana took a moment to nod and to drink her own coffee.

"Is there something you want to ask me, Chloe?" Lana asked.

"Yes, now that you mention it," Chloe said. "It's been a long time. You left five years ago after….Lex poisoned you….and we only heard from you here and there….you did pretty good for yourself. Why did you cut off all communication with us?"

Lana surveyed Chloe over the top of the glass. One could see how carefully she chose her next works. Lana drank the coffee.

"I went through the same thing Claire did, when I thought I had walked into a trap out of my stupidity," Lana said. "And I swear, I redefined the lack of common sense thing when I was a teenager. Every week, it seemed like the latest meteor mutant had a crush on me. It made me wonder sometimes if I had received powers which attracted madmen. Told them since they were psychopaths to please attack me."

"I wondered about that sometimes," Chloe said. "To be fair though, I was attacked often…it was more like a running competition."

"Yes," Lana said. "I found myself…..and I decided it was foolish to run from my past and rather use it to make me stronger. And I thought it would be for the best to return here….return to Metropolis, where all of my old friends have gone. I'm not running away this time."

"No, I didn't think you would this time," Chloe said. "Oh, why do they have to play that?"

Lana turned her attention to the television and she caught G. Gordon Godfrey's television show. Mercifully, the television show had been put on mute. She still could hear the utter swarmy tone coming from the tone.

"Alexa Luthor is going to be on the show tonight," Lana said.

"Good, I can't wait for the slaughter," Chloe said.

"He should count himself lucky it wasn't Alia," Lana said. "Alia would nuke him live on television."

Chloe blinked for a moment and frowned. Her eyes met Lana's. Since when she know Alia?

"I've had some business dealings with her in the past," Lana answered for Chloe's unasked question. "She's rather dedicated to her cause….reminds me a lot of Kara in some ways."

Chloe could barely suppress a smile. Given how Kara and Alia had a very tuberlant relationship, she was glad Kara was not here. There would have been a lot of agitation coming from her.

* * *

"I swear, this is some kind of joke. Am I being punked or something?"

Harley Quinn kicked back with a scowl on her face when she leaned against the bunk in the apartment she had been given to. The woman's face curled into a rather obvious scowl when she continued to look around. On the bunk below her was Leslie Willis, better known as Livewire.

"The Big Wall told us to cool and chill our heels," Leslie said.

"Yeah, but did she have to put the two of us in the same complex?" Harley said. "And did you fix my radio yet?"

"I said I'm working on it," Leslie said, gritting down on her teeth.

Harley threw her head back with a sigh. For someone with electrical type powers, Livewire did not have any ability to utilize them properly. Harley was so bored without her tunes and Waller wouldn't give them cable for some reason.

She rocked her head back for a moment and muttered underneath her breath. Anyone who knew her for more than a couple of minutes would attest until they were blue in the face a bored Harley Quinn could end up being a dangerous Harley Quinn. A moment passed when she realized she was not the only one which was bored.

"If I hit the television in the right spot, I might be able to pick up on someone else's cable," Livewire said.

"Wait, are you suggesting we steal cable?" Harley asked. "Isn't that illegal?"

Harley realized what she was saying and shook her head.

"Oh, yeah, right," Harley said. "Um, I guess you could proceed."

Livewire smiled and started to rub her hands together with glee. Sparks started to fly through those eager little fingers. Soon she would have what she wanted.

' _Okay, I'll either hit the cable right, or blow Harley up,'_ Leslie thought. _'On the other hand, I really don't have anything left to lose here, do I?'_

Livewire reared back her hands and fired at the television. A bolt of lightning struck it and for a second, it did not seem to work. The signal had been amplified and a couple of grainy images appeared. The image of G. Gordon Godfrey appeared on the television screen.

"Can't you change to something less vomit inducing?" Harley asked.

"Just give me a minute….."

"And tonight, I'm going to prove to the world why super heroes need to be locked up with the key thrown away," Godfrey said. "Join me, when I discuss the proposal of the Superhero registration act with Alexandria Luthor."

"Can you believe this guy?" Harley asked. "He's completely and utterly out of his mind…even when compared to us. Isn't that saying something?"

Leslie's eyes fixed on the television screen. Her scowl deepened every second she looked at Godfrey's face. She held her hand up and blew up the television when she overcharged it.

"Hey, why did you do that?" Harley asked. "Sure, Godfrey is a right bastard, and I don't know who got him a television deal and a radio deal and a book deal, but you could have turned to another channel….."

"I was taken off of the air, and replaced by him!" Livewire yelled. "This bastard….he stole everything I should have ever had. He stole it all….he stole what should have been mine. I was kicked off of the air. He has my old radio slot."

"Oh, that's rough, but hey, at least you got…"

"He's been trashing Supergirl too," Leslie said.

"Why do you care?" Harley asked. "Didn't you spend half of your time on the air trashing her as well? I don't see why you have your panties in a twist about what happened?"

"I'll tell you why, because when I trashed Supergirl, I did it with style," Livewire said. "When he does it, he's a thug who slings nothing, but mud. And for some reason, more people listen to him then he does. Despite the fact he has a voice which will make cats want to go out in a hail storm and die!"

The lights started to flicker. Harley placed her hands on the top of her head.

"Look, why don't you go and take care of it?" Harley asked. "I don't know, go ahead and kill him or something. What do you have to lose?"

Harley realized a few seconds later why suggesting this was not the best idea in the world. Livewire's lips curled into a devious grin a second later and stared Harley down.

"I'll do it," Livewire said. "I'll do it, and take him down. The bastard will fry for what he's done."

Harley watched Livewire short-circuit her tracking bracelet and disappear.

"Too bad she couldn't have done me," Harley said. "Oh, well, the Wall isn't going to like this."

* * *

Kara arrived at the shopping mall along with Barbara and Donna. Megan waited for them at the edge of the mall.

"Hey, Megan," Kara said with a smile on her face. "How are you doing?"

"I'm pretty good," Megan said in her usual bubbly tone of voice. She threw her arms around Kara and pulled her into a warm embrace. "I'm getting settled in…..and school's going well for me….."

"Let me know if you need any more tutoring," Barbara said.

"Oh, I will," Megan said with a smile over her face. "Marie is doing a good job though in making me know everything, and she wouldn't let me get away with not doing her very best."

Kara smiled. She thought Megan's skirt and blouse combination looked quite fetching on her and brought attention to her legs in great prominence. Her breasts were not anything to sneeze about either if Kara would be honest.

"I need a new computer though," Megan said.

"Oh, you do?" Barbara asked. "I have a couple of suggestions, don't worry, we'll make sure you get the best computer on the market."

Donna and Kara locked eyes with each other and started to laugh in an amused way. They resolved by now to just let Barbara go when she talked about matters of technology. It would be a far bit easier to do things this way then to step in her way.

The younger Amazon Princess turned her attention and noticed another very familiar figure walking into the mall.

"Don't look now, Kara, but here comes trouble," Donna said with a smile.

Kara turned her attention to Lucy Lane. Lucy noticed Kara and made another beeline to her again.

"You know, Lucy, we're going to have to stop meeting like this, people are beginning to talk," Kara said. "You don't want anyone to think you're stalking me, are you?"

Lucy shook her head and returned fire with a grin when she locked eyes with the Girl of Steel. Amused as she was because of this situation, she needed to have a serious conversation with Kara.

"Believe it or not, I'm not stalking you, and yes, I know this looks bad after you found me sitting in your living room the other day," Lucy said. "I just happened to be in the neighborhood, and I needed to pick up something."

"Something top secret," Kara said.

"Yes, a new shade of lip gloss, it's very scandalous," Lucy said without missing a beat. "Seriously though, Kara, I'm really sorry about having to walk out on you yesterday….it's just Lois showed up and….well we don't get alone as much these days, or if ever….I'm not sure if you noticed."

Kara snorted in response. It took her a few seconds to collect her thoughts.

"Yes, I've noticed the two of you have had your share of problems with each other," Kara said. "Lois can be high strung and you can as well….."

"I'm really sick of everyone saying I'm Lois Lane's kid sister," Lucy said. "Just as much as I'm sure you're sick when everyone calls you Superman's cousin."

This tone had become low. Kara responded with a frown, not knowing what to really say in a situation like this. Her mind kept going over with several thoughts. She finally sighed and placed a hand on the side of Lois's shoulder to attempt to calm her down.

"There were times in the past I won't lie, it bugged me to be typecasted as Superwoman's cousin," Kara said. "I grew beyond it. Maybe you should do some growing of your own behind it and…just be your own person."

"You really don't know what Lois was like when she was younger, do you?" Lucy asked.

"I'm not sure what that has to do with being your own person," Kara said.

"Lucy?" Donna asked. "You know my sister, and you know the shadow she casts. You know how hard it is to get out of it, don't you?"

Lucy responded with a nod. She knew all too well the type of shadow someone like Wonder Woman put over a person. She could feel sympathy for Donna.

"I never tried to live up to Diana….well actually, I did, but I gave up a long time ago," Donna said. "There's a point though…you'll never be as good as someone else. And even if you are, it doesn't matter because you'll get there first. I stopped doing that, and my relationship with Diana got much better."

Lucy responded with a nod. She would be lying if Donna didn't make a whole lot of sense. The frown crossed over her face at this particular moment.

"It's just, Lois makes it so hard sometimes," Lucy said. "She's just stubborn and high strung and she's….well she just frustrates me. Makes me want to scream."

Kara reached in and touched a hand to Lucy's shoulder in an attempt to get her attention.

"I think the problem is up here with you," Kara said. "Have you ever sat down and talked to Lois like an adult? Or have you just acted in a way which gave you a reason to treat you like a child?"

Lucy frowned. She hated to admit it. Kara had a point. More than a point in fact, and it frustrated Lucy beyond all belief.

She turned her attention to something else. Godfrey was on the television, doing his anti-Supergirl spiel.

"Humans can be capable of some pretty rotten things too," Lucy said. "Why does Godfrey think we should get a free pass from everything?"

"I don't know," Kara said. "I try not to think of Godfrey too much."

"Don't we all," Lucy said.

* * *

Hurricane Lois swept up Claire in her fury. The Woman of Steel regarded her girlfriend with a long and labored sigh. She was all too used to Lois when she got into these moods and this mood was one of the worst ones she had been in.

"Lois?" Claire asked. "Lois?"

"What, Smallville?" Lois asked.

Claire sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. This was not going to be easy in the slightest. She reached in and touched the top of Lois's shoulder.

"Are you doing okay?" Claire asked.

"Yes, Smallville, I'm doing fine," Lois said. A few seconds passed while she had the pressing glance from her girlfriend. It was stronger than X-Ray vision. "Okay, fine, I'm not fine, are you happy?

Not really, given how much of a mood Lois had been put in. Claire leaned closer towards her and touched a hand onto Lois's. Lois jolted up in time to stare back down at Claire.

"Tell me what's been eating you," Claire said.

"Oh, it's just my sister, she thinks she's so special because she has some high level position, she can rub it in my face," Lois said. "Do you really think I've done anything to deserve this?"

Claire responded with a lengthy sigh. She would not be touching this one with a ten foot pole. Claire did not even know if she wanted to touch this one with an even smaller pole.

"Her attitude is really rotten sometimes," Lois said. "Sure, I can get in my moods, but she just acts….well like she was…..and then she doesn't have the decency to face me when she's walked off."

Claire turned to her desk and sat down. Lois followed her and continued to rant.

"What am I doing wrong, Claire?" Lois asked. "What am I doing to make her upset? What am I doing to make her such a vindictive bitch? Ever since we were children….."

"She was Daddy's precious little girl who could not do any wrong, until she had been sent off to military camp when she was being a rebellious teenager," Claire said. "She ended up working in the military….while you went to be a reporter, and you think in your mind she's more approved by your father. Even though we both know it's not the case."

Lois blinked. The rant had been almost plucked from her mind word for word. Claire spoke it with pitch perfect accuracy to the point where Lois shuddered in response.

"You terrify me sometimes, Smallville," Lois said. "And what do you mean our father wasn't playing favorites with us? He favored Lucy more than me."

Claire thought about her next few words. It was delicate what she said, and she knew if she said the wrong thing to Lois, there would be trouble.

"Your father made sure both of you worked as hard as you could," Claire said. "In his own way, he's proud of you, he doesn't know how to show it a lot of the time."

"Well, you'd assume this, but Smallville, listen, you had a good relationship with Jonathan Kent before….."

Lois trailed off and realized she was about to say something.

"Look, Godfrey's on the television tonight, having the debate with Alexa," Claire said.

"And you look like a proud mother about the fact he's going to get skewed alive," Lois said. "Technically speaking though…you're right…and you changed the subject."

"Lois, when you're ready to talk to your sister like an adult, than do so," Claire said. "Otherwise, there's pretty much nothing else I have to say."

Lois tried to protest she did talk to Lucy like an adult. This protest had been left out of her thoughts though. The reporter turned her attention to the screen and hoped to get an excellent chance to be able to watch the skewing of G. Gordon Godfrey.

Cat stepped in from the downstairs and saw the wicked grin on the face of Lois. Shivers went down the spine of the blonde reporter.

* * *

"And once again, we have Superwoman causing much more damage than she even helped put out," Godfrey said. "When are we going to hold them accountable for their actions? They think of themselves like gods, but they are no more extraordinary than any of us."

Godfrey took a moment to take in a deep breath.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after the commercial break, Alexandria Luthor will be on, to talk about the recent Luthorcorp efforts," Godfrey said. "And I'm sure we're going to have a lot to discuss regarding the planned Vigilante Registration Act."

' _Oh, I'm sure we will,'_ Alexa thought.

"Ms. Luthor, you can go in now," the guard said from the other end of the door.

Alexa invited herself in. She sat down with Godfrey who took a long drink of coffee. Neither of them spoke until they were back on the air. Alexa preferred this to actually speaking a moment with this man.

"And we are back, with Alexandria Luthor," Godfrey said. "The long lost bastard daughter of Lionel Luthor, who has taken hold of the LuthorCorp empire over the past couple of weeks. She just returned from Europe recently, Ms. Luthor welcome to the show."

"I'm glad to be on, Mr. Godfrey, so we can clear the air about a few things," Alexa said.

"Yes, we have a fair amount to discuss today," Godfrey said. "Namely the fact the Gold Kryptonite your brother whipped up tended to be a huge load of bullocks, considering Superwoman is up and about. And speaking of which, do you share your brother's stance on Superwoman? Especially after she killed….."

"If you're going to say Superwoman killed my brother, I'm going to stop you there," Alexa said. "You and a few others have been peddling this lie for a long time. It's an honest mistake, but if I was honest, you don't care at all about Lex Luthor. You see him as nothing other than a tool to strengthen your own agenda. That's all he is to you."

"I beg your pardon?" Godfrey asked.

"You know what I'm talking about, Godfrey," Alexa said. "To clear up a few misconceptions, Lex wasn't well physically and mentally. Lex called out Superwoman for a fight and put civilians in danger. Superwoman went to stop him and Lex managed to kill himself. And he did have a super powered weapon more destructive than any super powered person in the world."

Godfrey's mouth turned a fair bit dry when he continued to look towards Alexa with those eyes. Those eyes which burned a fair amount into her.

"So, you're not in support of the VRA?" Godfrey asked.

Alexa's gaze hit Godfrey and she looked at him as if he was the most stupid man on the face of the planet Earth.

"If they were dangerous, do you think it would not be prudent to rile them up?" Alexa asked. "I know you have your own interests….and your own backers who want you to trumpet the agenda. And I was curious how you got some prime time slots out of nowhere. So I did some digging….."

"Maybe we can discuss this at another time, perhaps it's now best we go to commercial," Godfrey said.

"One of your backers is Maxwell Lord," Alexa said. "I know Lord and he's one of the more vocal backers against the caped crowd. He would do anything to run them deep into the ground. And he's got you drinking his Kool-aide."

"I think….."

Alexa cut off Godfrey at the pass. The smile grew extremely wicked.

"You're nothing other than Maxwell Lord's puppet," Alexa said. "And your supporters are just pawns as well who can't think for themselves. Do you deny this, Mr. Godfrey?"

"I'm only here to get the truth out to….."

"How many other puppet masters are tugging on your strings and making you dance?" Alexa asked. "This I wonder."

Godfrey was spared from answering when lights started to flicker in the studio. The man looked up, eyes widened and heart racing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, G. Gordon Godfrey will not be able to conclude his interview. He's been preempted by me, permanently!"

Livewire flashed in front of Godfrey with wicked eyes directed at him. Everything faded to black for the television viewing audience.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on July 29** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _Harley and Livewire sharing a room, that's the amazing things reality television should be made up. Instead, it's about people who are famous only because they're famous or something._

 _Claire and Chloe likely had to deal with the Lane sister drama the most. And Lucy continues to….well one might suspect she's stalking Kara at this point._

 _Alexa rips Godfrey to shreds, in the verbal sense, and this Friday, it looks like Livewire intends to do that in the physical sense._

 _Until Friday._


	86. Chapter 86

**Chapter Eighty-Six: Those Old Sparks Part Two.**

* * *

Kara Zor-El knew G. Gordon Godfrey going on the air would start trouble brewing. This time, though, Alexa took the man to school and revealed a bunch of information Kara did not even know. Considering the facts which had been laid down on the table, though, it made a lot of sense. It made way too much sense, if she was perfectly honest.

Another big problem manifested itself in the return of Livewire. The last time Kara saw her, she fought the invaders of Earth alongside the Suicide Squad. This occurred over a year ago and now Kara looked on with the rest of the world with trepidation. The television screens underwent technical difficulties, the radios turned to static, and the Internet feeds of the interview crash. If Kara listened, she could vaguely hear some threats in the background.

"Livewire's lost her mind!" Barbara yelled. Her hands cupped together and frowned in response. "Not she ever had her mind, but still, she's lost it. This is getting really bad!"

Kara took a deep breath in frustration, regret swimming through her eyes.

"Yes, it's getting bad, and she was making so much progress with what she was," Kara said. "I wonder what riled her up about Godfrey."

"Given it's Godfrey, it could be the fact it's only Godfrey," Donna said. Her fingers started to rub together in frustration and the breathing escalated just a slight amount.

Kara tried once more to listen to the radio signal. A loud thump could be heard and in the wind, she could hear.

"Face me, Godfrey, you've been running your mouth for months now….."

A crackle could be heard and Kara made her way out of the mall. She came shoulder to shoulder with Lucy Lane, who frowned the second where Kara came out of the mall and readied herself to deal with this potential crisis situation.

"I warned them something like this would happen," Lucy murmured. "We should have had extra security out to keep an eye on Godfrey."

Kara took a moment to look at Lucy and frowned. The blonde placed her hand on the shoulder of the younger Lane sister.

"I'm not sure if extra security is going to matter when it has to do with Livewire, "Kara said. Lucy blinked and responded with a crisp nod. "She's going to do what she wants to do and there are very few people who can stand in her way."

Kara was one of the few people who could stand up to Livewire and it had been a rather tough confrontation in the past. It took everything she had and now Livewire was more intense than ever before. She did not know what to do.

"I'm going to get there now," Lucy said. "Hopefully, we can talk her down."

Kara shook her head when the younger Lane sister left. She wished her the best of luck, to be honest. It would be a tough one. Barbara, Megan, and Donna all looked at each other with anxiety in their eyes and Kara turned to Barbara.

"Barbara, see if you can tap into the signal again," Kara said to her. "I'm going to try to get in to see if I can reason with her."

Barbara looked at Kara as if she grew an extra head. She would have wished her the best of luck in dealing with Livewire. The last time they battled, it did not end in the best way.

"I'll give it my best shot, but there's a lot of interference," Barbara said. "Let's see how far and how deep I can get in."

She continued to tap on the ear piece. Barbara frowned and she grabbed Kara by the shoulder to turn the Girl of Steel down.

"Kara, listen…..I know you feel bad about everything which happened to Willis," Barbara said. "I know you feel like you're responsible for the fact she's like how she was, but….."

"Barbara, I really don't have time to have this conversation," Kara said.

"Look, I think I know what Barbara is trying to say, granted I don't want to put words in her mouth, but…" Donna said starting to trail off and sighing. "You know it's Godfrey. He wouldn't be the worst person to leave to the wolves."

Donna could not believe what she said seconds after saying it. Even Megan and Barbara stared at Donna and caused the Amazon Princess to shift in anxiety. It amazed Donna how much ten seconds could drag on for ten minutes with the Girl of Steel glaring a hole through her head and adding to the nervousness within her.

"He wouldn't be, but there's one problem," Kara said. "We wouldn't want to make him into a martyr for the anti-cape cause. Which means, we're going to have to save Godfrey, even if his life is about as miserable and worthless as you would expect."

Donna responded with a nod directed towards Kara. She did not have to like it, but she respected everything the Girl of Steel said and would go with it.

* * *

G. Gordon Godfrey backed against the chair and started to breathe in and out. He could see the woman in front of him and sparks flying between her fingers. He tried to regain some sense of stature. He railed on the superheroes and heroines knowing deep down none of them would retaliate. He never though in this wildest dreams this insane woman would come after him like this.

"Listen, listen, listen!" Godfrey yelled. "You're not…you're not going to solve anything by taking me out….or maybe you will. Go ahead, I bet you don't have the guts to kill me, I bet you're….."

A bolt lightning shot out of the hand of the woman and struck the back of the chair. Godfrey squirmed in the chair with Livewire staring down at him with one of the most dangerous glares she could manage. Livewire flicked her fingers together and blasted another bolt of lightning at the chair and caused it to tip over.

Alexa looked at Godfrey and shook her head. The Luthor woman figured this particular bastard had it coming and sure enough, he received the punishment which someone of his stature deserved.

"Don't tempt me, Godfrey!" Livewire yelled. She stared him down and raised a hand.

Livewire fired another bolt of lightning aimed between Godfrey's legs. She pulled back before striking the man in a very unpleasant area. A flicker of energy shot through Livewire's eyes combined with giddiness. A heartbeat started to increase. Livewire turned her hand over and flicked her hand.

The lights of the studio shattered and several pieces of shattered glass flung down upon the ground. Godfrey placed his hands on the top of his head and blood started to ooze out of the side of the face. Livewire glared at him with one of those looks which could kill.

Alexa watched Livewire. No matter how much she enjoyed seeing this bastard squirm in terror, she better intervene.

"Ms. Willis, do you think the two of us could have a word?" Alexa asked. Livewire turned her head away from Alexa and stared her down. "You know, is this worthless piece of human excrement really worth it?"

Livewire paused for a minute. She considered these words for a couple of minutes.

"You've made some headway, you're beloved by some, still disliked by others," Alexa said. "You really need to think long and hard whether or not any of this is worth it. Whether it's worth it to destroy Godfrey? The world might be a better place, but would it be worth it to destroy all the headway you made?"

Alexa saw this conversation would be as productive as speaking to the wall or one of those lamps. Livewire leaned forward and stretched her hand down towards Godfrey's neck when the man slumped to the ground. One right move could cut through his throat and take the bastard out for good.

"He's worth it to see him squirm!" Livewire yelled. "He's worth it to be burned to a crisp. You hear him talking his bullshit day after day and the people are just letting him get away with it. They're too afraid to do anything, and….if someone doesn't want to back up their words with actions….if they don't…..I swear I'm going to blow him away. He's not going to…"

Livewire took a second to take a deep breath and turn towards the form of Godfrey. Godfrey tried to sit up and collapse on the ground.

"I'd like to make him squeal like a pig underneath the gate," Livewire said. "At least, when I said the stuff he does, it was original, and I did it with style. He says it because he's a jackass. What's next, Godfrey, advocating we bomb countries just to get rid of a few extremists?"

Godfrey found his voice, perhaps a couple of seconds too late. He started to sputter in and out for a long moment. The man, who had so much to say, finally found his voice and found something to say.

"Now just listen to me…"

Alexa slammed her foot on the ground. Godfrey jerked his head towards Alexa and kept blinking. She looked as if she wanted to join Livewire in pounding this bastard into the ground.

"Shut up, you're not making your case any better!" Alexa yelled. "Leslie, I know you're in a bad place in life, and I know deep down in you, you're a good person who has lost their way."

Leslie rolled her eyes at this moment. For a second, she turned away from Godfrey and thought about zapping Alexa instead for saying something so trite.

"A good person who has lost their way?" Leslie asked. "Do you think I'm part of some after school special, or something like that?"

Alexa smiled and shook her head. She did not mean to imply such a thing and now Leslie pointed it out, Alexa thought how many problems this particular inference would cause.

' _Okay, let's try it again.'_

"No, Leslie, I would never have implied such a thing about you," Alexa said. "I'm going to tell you one thing, though. You need to let this go and just let this bastard breath. The truth will come out and have him be destroyed…..I can get you whatever you want. You want your time slots back, I can get you it back, I can get you a prime time slot."

Livewire looked for a moment. The entertainer in her wanted this prime time slot, especially if it would make someone like Godfrey under an overpass where he belonged.

"You can do it?"

"I can do it, Leslie, I can put Livewire back on the air," Alexa said.

Livewire took a moment to stare at Alexa and then at Godfrey. One look at this man who made such a crappy bastardization of the airwaves caused Alexa to go into a rage.

"The only thing I want is his head on a plate!" Livewire yelled at the top of her lungs. "And I'm going to make sure he begs for his miserable life. Go ahead, Godfrey, beg me, beg me not to kill you."

* * *

Chloe and Lois drove about as close to the studio. Or rather, Chloe drove and Lois tried to tune into the station which Godfrey's interview was the best she could. She grew more and more annoyed every second she tried to get into the radio station.

"Well, Livewire's lost her mind this time," Chloe said.

Lois tried to prevent a sigh from escaping from her. She was going to lose her mind because of the bad radio station reception. She was here in the dark.

"It's Godfrey….who can blame her?" Lois asked. She took a step out of the vehicle and walked behind Chloe a couple of steps. She paused and noticed Lucy on the other end. "Lucy, what's going….."

Lucy turned her back on Lois and continued to prattle around on the cell phone. Lois's frown deepened the second Lucy turned her back on.

Chloe responded with a groan. On and off for the past couple of days, she heard about Lois complaining about her sister, over and over again. Chloe tried to reign in her patience while listening to what Lucy had to say, even though there was not a lot to make sense of giving the conversation going on.

"Listen, just get somewhere here right now….yes, I know you can't get inside….every time somewhere gets close enough, they're shot out of the sky by her energy," Lucy said. "No one's dead…yes, that's good….well, I guess we're going to have to wait for Supergirl to come and save the day again. You know how much I like this….not a lot granted….but still….."

Lois waited for Lucy to get off the phone before she talked to her.

"Lucy?" Lois asked.

Lucy turned around to Lois. She was already in a foul mood thanks to her superiors giving her the runaround both on this and the Bizarro situation. She was not in the mood to deal with Lois and her bullshit.

"Lois, now's not the time to talk to me," Lucy said. "It's highly classified information, and I'm not at the liberty to discuss it….."

Lois snapped and thought it was now time to get some steam off of her.

"Oh, boy, here we go again," Lois said. "Because your highly classified information worked so well the last time when you got smashed to bits by a crazy Kryptonian clone earlier. Really worked out well, didn't it?"

"Look, you don't have to act high and mighty with me….."

"Well, I wouldn't have to act high and mighty if you just cooperated and told me what was going on….maybe I can help you."

"Yes, because you're kind of help is…."

"OH WILL THE TWO OF YOU GIVE IT A FUCKING REST!"

Lois and Lucy stopped in mid argument and looked at Chloe. Chloe breathed heavily and looked down at both of her cousins.

"Look at both of you, always bickering back and forth. It's like you're still five years old," Chloe said. "Do you think it would be at all possible if either of you gave it a rest. I know it's hard to believe, but there are more important things in the world where the two of you could get the better of each other."

Lucy and Lois both looked like they had no idea what to say. They never saw Chloe this angry, and life gave her plenty of reasons to be angry. All of the drama surrounding Claire, Lana, and everything in Smallville never made her lose it like this. Lois stepped back, and Lucy stepped back.

Chloe rounded on about Lucy and stared her down.

"Lucy, you've had issues in your childhood with Lois trying to act like your mother," Chloe said. "Did you ever think in your pretty little arrogant head she was only looking out for you and you gave her a reason to look at her…"

"See!" Lois yelled.

Chloe turned her attention towards Lois and forced the other woman to back off. The two of them stared down and Chloe stepped up against her.

"As for you, well the entire world has to revolve around Lois, and what she wants," Chloe said. "You think because you're the best reporter in the world, you're entitled to everything. Well, guess what Lois, you're not entitled to everything. Even if Lucy could have gone about it in a lot better way…..she's not wrong in denying you information!"

Chloe took a deep breath. In the back of her mind, she knew she had gone a bit too far over the edge. Now she was on a role, she might as well keep going because it would have been very hard to stop at this point.

"See, Lois, you had a rough childhood, a lot of people had a rough childhood, you just got to deal with it," Chloe said. "And get over those problems you had when you were eight and five…or whenever you had those problems…..neither of you are perfect, so just get over yourself!"

Lois and Lucy looked at Chloe for several minutes. Neither sister knew what to say given the fact Chloe tore them apart like she did.

"Um, wow," Lucy said.

"Sorry, you had to hear it, but I really needed to get it off my chest, badly,"

Kara dropped down next to them. Her eyes widened and Chloe looked towards her. Now she had blown off the steam, the calmness and the horror of everything said returned to her. M'gann joined them as well, mouth hanging open. The young Martian looked horrified and for good reason.

"So how much of that did you hear?" Chloe asked.

"Enough," Kara said. She continued without missing a beat. "So what's the plan?"

Kara decided any drama would have to wait until later. Now they had a plan to deal with and the plan was to take down Livewire before her brand of chaos spread. The sounds of Godfrey's screams showed Kara how much time she had, which meant no time at all.

"We're going to need to take Livewire down before innocent people are caught in the crossfire," Lucy said.

"Call your people off….Megan and I are heading inside….hopefully, we'll be able to do something, and soon," Kara said.

Lucy threw back her hands as if to tell Kara to go ahead. The two of them locked eyes with each other for the longest moment.

"Given my people aren't able to get inside no matter how hard they try, it's just as well," Lucy said. "I wish you the best of luck."

"Thanks," Kara said.

* * *

Alexa watched the train wreck which was about ready to occur. Livewire rounded up against Godfrey and she muttered to herself several times.

' _Don't do it, she can't do it,'_ Livewire yelled.

"Did you think you would be able to get away with this?" Livewire asked. "I bet you would be a lot better off if you were a burning pile of rubble on the ground."

"Then do it!" Godfrey yelled. "Do it!"

Livewire reared back her arm and the juice started to spill between her fingers. She prepared to blast Godfrey into the next dimension.

The roof shattered and signaled the arrival of Supergirl. The Girl of Steel dropped down in front of Livewire and gave her standard heroic pose. Livewire raised her hand and glared at the woman who she spent months blasting and was partly responsible for her current condition.

"Supergirl?" Livewire asked. "Step out of my way, if you know what's good for you."

Kara refused to stand back. She stood tall and proud and stared her down.

"Listen to me, Leslie, you've been through a rough last couple of years, and a small part of it is on my account," Kara said. "You're just proving his point, though."

Livewire raised her hand and more sparks flew. The warning had been given. Kara refused to back down at this time.

"You're proving super powered people are dangerous and menaces who should be locked up in cages," Kara said. "Don't do this, Leslie, don't do this….if you kill Godfrey, he will be right. And there will be other people who will pop up in his place. And you'll be locked up in a lab and dissected by people worse than Godfrey."

Megan popped her head from the other side. Kara shook her head in response the moment Livewire had not looked.

"Look at me, look at what happened to me!" Livewire howled. "Supergirl, I have to…"

"If you had it in you to kill him, you would have done it by now," Supergirl said. "Leslie, please….just stand back…..let justice prevail. In the end, the people will find out the truth."

Kara thought finally, through some miracle, she had finally gotten through the thick head of this stubborn woman. Only time would tell if she would listen.

"Let him live with the knowledge you could have fried him to a crisp, but chose not to, because you're a better person," Kara said. "Live with the knowledge he's wrong….it is a greater victory than any destruction?"

Livewire looked from Supergirl to Godfrey and backed off from him. She finally understood what Alexa and Supergirl tried to tell her.

"Yes, it is," Leslie said. "I'll let him live with how pathetic he is."

"You're a good person….far better than I could ever hope to be," Leslie said.

"You can be too if you chose to," Kara said.

Livewire scoffed. She would believe it when she saw it. Ever since her high school days, she made a series of bad decisions which turned her into far less than a good person.

"Don't get too sappy on me, Supergirl," Leslie warned her. She turned to Alexa with a wicked smile crossing her face. "So, were you serious about that prime time slot?"

Alexa's lips curled into a smile. She reached forward and patted Leslie on the shoulder. Leslie relaxed when Alexa pulled away from her.

"I know people who know people, we'll work out something," Alexa said. "I suggest you go now until the heat dies down."

Leslie nodded and flashed away. She came out the same way she left. No doubt a lecture from Waller was coming and Leslie thought she let it get riled up. Then again, the superheroes were getting riled up by Godfrey enough. Why did the villains?

Kara looked away from Godfrey and pushed the door open. Donna and Megan still stood by on the other side, her backup which was not needed. Kara caught one look at Megan and realized something was wrong in an instant. Kara placed a hand on the Martian's shoulder to yank her out of her disturbed thoughts.

"There's a problem," Megan said.

"What kind of a problem?" Kara asked. She already could tell by the look on Megan's face, this was getting pretty serious.

"I couldn't read any thoughts from Godfrey."

* * *

Claire Kent thought she redefined the term burning the midnight oils. She stood in the new and improved Fortress of Solitude with Alura and Lara and they had Bizarro in the tank. The degenerated clone worked on a different logic, far different from anything Claire ever saw before.

They studied the creature since they captured him. The garbled symbols on the screen looked like no language Claire ever saw in her life. The Last Daughter of Krypton raised her arms and slammed it into the side of the console.

"Clara, I know you're frustrated, but you can't show this much despair," Lara said.

Claire thought Lara only told her this to appease her. The Last Daughter of Krypton drew in some deep breaths to try to keep herself calm, or at least calmer.

"I should have….we should have figured out a way to get something out of his mind," Claire said. "Some of the best technology in the universe and we can't crack through his mind."

Lara looked from her daughter to Alura. Alura blinked very little since the moment they worked on this project. Lara attempted to insist she take a break. Alura plowed on through.

"Your….doppleganger's mind is wired differently than anyone else on Earth," Lara said. "Even different from a Kryptonian's…the mind projects a backwards logic, so Alura and I need to recalibrate the scanner to work on his…."

"Bizarro Logic?" Claire inquired, figuring about as much.

"Yes, this Bizarro Logic," Lara said in agreement. "Just calm down, it will be fine, trust….."

Alura popped up with a smile. She turned around for a brief second and looked back at the screen to make sure she was not hallucinating.

"Something popped up on the scanner," Alura said. "In the midst of all the garbled talk and backwards thoughts, I mean."

Hope sprung in Claire's mind. Finally, something happened in all of this madness which gave her some hope this was not all for nothing. She locked eyes with her aunt to see what she had to say with this entire insane situation.

"What popped up?" Claire asked.

"Word word….it translates into Pegasus," Alura said.

Lara and Claire stared at each other. Neither of them knew any more about this than Alura did. This mystery took a turn for the very strange.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on August 2** **nd** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _Well someone had to say it, but I doubt many expected it was Chloe who would say it. Everyone has their breaking point._

 _And Pegasus…not going to make the obvious brony joke here. Although I'm pretty sure Chloe's going to make one in a later chapter. It's something far more sinister than ponies._

 _Livewire is talked down off of her ledge. Granted, Godfrey is still going to be the same ungrateful bastard and it would be better to let him fry. The perils of being a hero._

 _Until Tuesday._


	87. Chapter 87

Take part in democracy and vote for the Week Thirty Chapter of the Week At the Blog.

* * *

 **Chapter Eighty-Seven: Unnatural Calm.**

* * *

Two figures stood around the television screen. A few images flashed on the television screen. One of the more prominent images featured the events of yesterday, the closing moments of the transmission of the G. Gordon Godfrey interview when Livewire showed up on the scene yesterday. The screen faded to black and replaced with Cat Grant who was about ready to give the news.

"The events of yesterday have put controversial figure G. Gordon Godfrey in a not so favorable light. Many feel Alexandria Luthor dismantled his supposed well together points without any trouble whatsoever. Plus many consider his wilting in the face of Livewire to show his lack of strength and courage in the face. The controversial figure has remained silent over day and refuses to comment. Our story indicates he has nothing injured, other than his pride. What will happen now? We'll find out soon. This is Cat Grant signing off. Now enjoy the weather."

Amazing Grace started to cackle like a madwoman the second she looked at the screen. She could watch that glorious ingrate be pummeled time and time again. Given his arrogance, she thought he deserved to be hoisted up on his own petard a time or two.

"Hoist on his own petard of arrogance," Grace said. An amused smirk passed over the edge of her face. "I can hardly believe it, he thought he could go toe to toe with the likes of her. And he wilted like an infant in the face of Livewire of all people. She's nothing other than a glorified meteor mutant."

Granny turned her attention towards Grace. The gargoyle's face grew even more hideous. Grace even took half of a step back and did a long gulp of terror when she came face to Granny.

"I don't know why you're so happy about your brother's failure," Granny said. "This could set us back a lot. People aren't going to accept our words at face value if the person who is saying them is considered weak. And you should be ashamed of yourself for thinking otherwise."

Grace took a moment to look into the eyes of this demented woman. A long groan passed through her throat. Many of Darkseid's minions had been at each other's throats. The only thing which mandated solidarity was the fear their master inspired. Had they failed it, it would be doom.

"We'll rebound, despite his failure," Grace said.

"You best hope you're correct, for your sake," Granny said. "The master doesn't tolerate failure now, or ever."

"Yes, I'm aware how he handles failure," Grace said. "He will not have to worry about failure, at least from me."

Granny shifted her standard nasty, beady eye glare towards Grace.

"And he will not have to worry about failure on my end," Granny said. "As long as the plans move forward as planned, we should not have anything to worry about. Speaking of which…about your end of the bargain?"

Grace wondered when they were going to get to this point. The woman's lips curled into a wicked and malicious little frown.

"They're running directly on schedule," Grace said. "There were a couple of snags. They're children…they can be stubborn and difficult to mold at times."

Granny smiled and tightened her hand around the giant staff she favored. The energy flickered through the staff and even Grace stepped back about three centimeters to avoid the wrath of the staff.

"As difficult as they are to mold when their emotions get the better of them, they are blank slates," Granny said. "We have experience on them. If they want life, if they want to breathe, then they will listen to everything we have to say. And if they don't, then they will be cast aside until we find children which cooperate even more."

"We've hit some snags," Grace said. "But, overall the project has come a long way since the first batch."

Grace flashed the images of the children on the screen. Many of them looked rather disfigured. At one time, they were happy, smiling faces with a bright future. Even Grace closed her eyes. They were dealing with a dangerous transformation.

"Yes, the poor dears," Granny said. "They have fallen so far and so hard. It's a sad necessity. They will live on through the spirit of great Darkseid."

Grace looked over the figures on the screen. Each and every one of them fit into the vision of their grand leader in different ways. These children had the power within them. The power almost killed them. What did not kill someone made them stronger.

Those who died were not strong. Grace prepared to show she was more useful than her brother could every be. Each child represented a promise she made to Darkseid a long time ago.

"Yes, and he will need an army when his grand plan has been delivered," Grace said. "They've spent half of their lives learning about the Great Darkseid. They know what our great leader will lead them to."

"We're in agreement, we have to work together for this plan to be made a reality," Granny said.

"Yes, we're going to work together for now," Grace said. The two of them extended their hands to each other and locked into a handshake.

Granny and Grace locked hand to hand with each other and stared down. Both of these women understood what was on the line. They could feel the satisfaction of their master and would do anything to ensure he was on the top of the food chain. Even if it meant working with each other, so be it. They would accomplish their goals.

' _For now, until Darkseid is on the throne, we must work as one,'_ Granny thought. _'The moment our great master is back, then the story will be different. All will fall before them. Even Supergirl and Superwoman will all fall at the master's feet.'_

* * *

"So, are you trying to tell me you tried to break into Godfrey's mind?" Marie asked. "Do you realize how dangerous this was? To enter the mind of someone as disturbed and deprived as G. Gordon Godfrey, and not come out even the slightest bit disturbed? What did you think would happen, Megan?"

Megan shifted her feet together. Kara reached up and placed an arm around the shoulder of her young friend, frowning in response.

"She didn't really mean to enter his mind, at least I don't think?" Kara asked.

"And yet, she did," Marie said.

Kara thought this would have been a lot better if Marie was angry. She spoke in a calm and clear voice. Megan looked back at her mentor and stared into her eyes. A couple of seconds passed before she spoke.

"Yes, I did….I just….well there's something about him which is unsettling," Megan said. "There's a whole lot of nothing in his mind. I don't know….well, I don't know what to say about it."

Marie frowned. Something was not right. She had a sickening stir in her stomach. It could not be, could it? Was it possible? She would find out in a minute. Marie reached forward and put her hands on the side of Megan's head and stared into her eyes in an intent manner.

"I'm going to need to take a look into your mind," Marie said. "There's a chance he might have slipped some subconscious thought in your mind."

Megan really had been caught off guard with this one. She could feel the gentle probe and could not relax when there were so many questions running through her mind.

"How could have he done that?" Megan asked. "You don't think….no there's no way, it's not possible, is it even possible?"

Kara had been caught off guard. She wondered if it was even possible. The Girl of Steel found her voice in time to voice the thought which entered her mind.

"It shouldn't be possible unless he's…." Kara said. "You don't think, do you?"

Marie could tell in the back of Kara's mind there was a thought of Godfrey being something more than people thought he was. It would explain so much why he compelled so many people. People were afraid and those type of people were open to suggestions. It was the simple way to solve all of their problems.

"I won't know until I look," Marie said. "Megan, just relax, and it won't hurt….trust me on this."

Marie ran her fingertips against the skull of Megan. She knew this could be a dangerous process if Godfrey left some kind of Trojan horse behind in the back of Megan's mind.

"I trust you," Megan said. "I'm relaxing…but if there's something inside my mind, then you're going to have to pull out before it's too late."

"Just let me worry about it," Marie said.

Marie took the plunge and dove deep inside Megan's mind. Megan's breath hitched into her body and Marie delved even deeper into her mind.

The longest couple of moments passed. Kara leaned back against the wall and waited for Marie to do her job. She could hear a few anxious thoughts from both sides. She did not know anything to resolve their anxiety.

' _This is completely insane,'_ Kara thought. _'I didn't know his lack of thoughts would lead to so many problems. Talk about your dire situations.'_

Marie stared into Megan's eyes and pulled back away from her. Megan leaned forward and shook her head. The buzzing had been normal when another Martian entered a person's mind, especially when such a deep scan had been performed.

"The good news is your pretty clean," Marie said. "You should consider yourself fortunate…..if he is what we think he is."

Megan relaxed. She thought a dance would have been over. The perky young Martian held herself back from such a demeaning action. Kara caught her eye and smiled which Megan returned. The thoughts of what Godfrey was hit the back of her mind with an intense shove.

"It would make him a hypocrite if he was one," Megan said. Marie's eyes skimmed over the face of her young charge. "Yes, I know, big surprise, really big surprise."

"With, Godfrey, I wouldn't be surprised," Kara said. "It makes a lot of sense when you think about it."

"The compelling voice, the fact people believe him, and he convinced some rather high and powerful people to back him," Marie said. "Do you think he's one of the Agents of Darkseid?"

Kara recalled what Amanda Waller told her during the last time they met. There were agents of Darkseid around pretty much every corner. Why wouldn't there be Agents of Darkseid in the media? This would be the best place for any of them.

' _How better to spread the seeds of discontent than through the media?'_ Kara asked.

"You're very lucky you didn't go too deep in his mind," Marie said. "You wouldn't have wanted to get sucked into his world."

Megan leaned her head down and smiled. She thought as much. Curiosity almost got the better of her numerous times and this was one of the times where it got the better of her right now.

"So, what now?" Megan asked.

"Godfrey's going to go silent for a while until this blows over," Kara said. "After what Alexa said, he's not going to be out in the public any time soon."

* * *

Claire made her way into the Daily Planet office. She needed to check out a couple up a lead of what Pegasus was. Lara and Alura continued to work on Clark's mind, even though there had been little progress. It took days of work, with little sleep before they pulled the one word out of his mind.

She almost smacked into Chloe. A cup of coffee flew out of Chloe's hand. Claire reached out and caught the cup of coffee in her hand before it dropped down to the ground.

"So, how have you been lately?" Claire asked Chloe. "You look a little…well, you look like you're distracted."

Chloe shook her head a moment later. Where to start with what happened lately? She had no idea where to begin at this particular point.

"Oh you mean because of the fact I ripped into both of my cousins for acting like children and being at each other's throats all of the time," Chloe said. "Or do you mean something other than that?"

Claire blinked for a minute. She did not think Chloe of all people would have been the one to bitch out Lois and Lucy. Kara, she could see it. If Claire had been under red Kryptonite, she might have said something. Alia most certainly would have told both of them to knock it off before spanking them, and Lana may have said something as well if she thought of it.

"You….you yelled and Lois and Lucy," Claire said.

The shock had hung in the air. Chloe almost laughed at the open mouth fish face expression on Claire's face.

"Well someone had to," Chloe said. "Yeah, I admit it. I was a bit rough on both of them. You can't really blame me, though. They were asking for it, you know."

Claire chuckled. Chloe had nothing to apologize for.

"Hey, I'm not going to argue with you," Claire said. "Maybe they'll actually get along for once."

"Wishful thinking, no doubt?" Claire asked with a little smile.

Chloe laughed at the dry way Claire laid down this particular statement to her. She tilted her head back with a sigh and a smile to match.

"Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?" Chloe asked. "So, what do you have on your mind today, any luck with Bizarro?"

"Well, it took days before we managed to get some information out of his demented mind, but we managed to get one codeword out...Pegasus," Claire said.

Chloe blinked for a couple of moments. This was one of the last words she expected. Some kind of mystical animal, which resembled a horse, which might not have been all too mystical at all. Given all the strangeness Chloe encountered in her life, she would not have been surprised at all.

"Pegasus?" Chloe asked.

Confusion rang through her mind even more. Claire looked towards her and looked more amused than annoyed by the fact Chloe was trying to roll over the thought of what this entire Pegasus thing was in her mind.

"Yes, Pegasus, I wasn't really certain about it," Claire said. "Especially given the mind in question, you know how backward his mind is."

"Which giving how backward your mind seems to some people, that's really saying something," Chloe said. Claire responded with a look at Chloe and Chloe just responded with a brief little smile and a pat on Claire's shoulder. "Sorry, I'll behave myself, I swear."

"Well, let's hope you will," Claire said with a light grin over her face. "So, what do you think Pegasus is?"

Chloe took a moment to consider the question. If she was honest, Claire asked a pretty good question and Chloe had no idea what the answer was.

"It could be some top secret government program, or a failsafe or….."

Chloe almost spoke the next word. It seemed so obvious and Claire came in with the word.

"It could be a trap," Claire said.

"Well, you don't need to be Admiral Akbar to figure this one out," Chloe said. "He was in the mind of Granny….although we shouldn't discount the possibility he knows something, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, I would agree," Claire said. "And the fact I'm having any doubts about this is….."

"You're thinking more, or hanging around Alia and Helena too much, it's starting to make you paranoid about everything," Chloe said. "Hey, look on the bright so though, just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean someone isn't out to get you."

Claire responded with a nod. She hoped she did not be paranoid for a good reason. Someone could have been out to get her, though.

* * *

Lucy Lane entered the bar in a partial funk. Chloe's words kept pounding in the back of her head and Lucy gritted her teeth. Under normal circumstances, Chloe's words would have caused Lucy to be angry about it. Lucy persisted like there was not a problem. She always considered everything bad to be Lois's fault.

It hit the younger Lane woman she had a few issues. The dark haired woman walked into the bar and sighed. Her entire world had been turned upside down. The shadiness of some of the people she worked for had been exposed at the worst possible time.

' _No, it can't be, they can't be working for Darkseid,'_ Lucy thought.

Lucy sank down in front of the bar. Her heart skipped a couple of beats the moment she sat around. The loud music and drunken babble entered her head. Lucy sunk into her own thoughts.

"Get me the usual," Lucy said.

Lucy would not have said working close with certain people in the military caused her to develop a drinking habit. If dealing with Lois during her childhood did not make her develop a drinking problem, she did not know what would. Lucy swore up and down she did not have a problem; she just enjoyed a couple of drinks here and there.

"This lady wants to buy you a drink and she wants to talk to you," the bartender said.

Lucy turned her head to the side and looked rather curious. Suspicion also swam over her face. Something looked off about the woman. It could not be because of the fact she wore a hood over her face.

"Hello, Ms. Lane, sit down."

The woman sat down on the other side of the table which was a bit away from the bar. The woman had a file in her hand which flickered underneath Lucy's eyes.

Curiosity hit Lucy fast and hard. She would have lied if she did not look curious. Lois was not the only Lane sister who stuck her nose where it didn't belong.

"You look like you need a drink."

Lucy thought this was the most obvious statement in the word. Her eyes locked onto the woman in question. Any hint of her identity had been missing. Lucy thought her voice sounded familiar. Where did Lucy meet this woman before? She had to have met her somewhere.

"If I do, it's….well thanks," Lucy said. "No one goes into a club and buys someone a drink…..especially when they have a file in their hand like this."

The person underneath the hood responded with a chuckle.

"You're a very smart woman, Ms. Lane," the woman underneath the hood said. "Yes, I'm here because I wish to have a word with you about something crucial."

"And it is?" Lucy asked.

"Your bosses are involved in a little experiment where little meteor mutants are being rounded up and treated for their illnesses," she said. "Not everyone gets nifty abilities which drive them slowly insane. Some of them get cancer."

The folder slid in front of Lucy. She flipped it open and saw some of the pictures on the other side of the folder. Only one word passed through her mouth.

"My God," Lucy said.

"My words exactly," the woman in the hood said. "I'm not sure if they're willingly doing this….some of them obviously think they are helping out these children….well some of them aren't children anymore. And others….are….the fallout of the meteor shower is still being felt almost twenty-five years later."

Lucy flipped through the paper. A couple of the names on the top secret documents were very familiar to her. The name of one of her direct supervisors stuck out at her. Lucy Lane's entire world flipped upside down the more she looked over these papers.

"Okay, what do you want me to do about this?" Lucy asked. "I can't go against the people who are above me in the government….no matter how wrong I think this is."

"Ms. Lane, you're a fairly intelligent woman," the woman in the hood said. "I'm sure you're intelligent enough to figure it out."

The woman rose up to her feet and turned around. Lucy thought the last few days had been a revelation of her, her life, and how anything she did not matter, given how the people above her could be pretty corruption. Every time she tried to get answers, she had failed to do so.

' _I'm going to have to start thinking outside the box,'_ Lucy thought. She blew a lock of hair away from her face and responded with a sigh. _'It's madness when you think about it.'_

The woman in the hood slipped outside of the warehouse. The hood pulled down to reveal the face of Tess Mercer who walked towards a waiting car.

"Did she get the file?" the woman in the car asked.

"Yes, and I think I shocked her," Tess said. "Are you sure she can be trusted?"

"If I wasn't sure with one hundred percent certainty, you wouldn't have been sent in, Tess," she said. "I just hope we can save some of those children before it's too late."

Tess wondered if it was too late the moment Granny got her dirty hooks in those children. She remembered all too well what happened with Granny Goodness and how much the woman corrupted Tess when she attended Granny's orphanage.

* * *

Megan plopped down on the bed in one of the guest rooms in the Penthouse. A knock on the door brought the young Martian out of her thoughts.

"It's unlocked," Megan said.

Kara opened up the door and walked inside. She moved over to sit down on the bed next to Megan. A warm arm wrapped around Megan's shoulder and pulled her over into a half-embrace.

"So, how are you?" Kara asked.

"Well, I've been better," Megan said with a smile. "I guess, it worked out for the end…..I didn't get into his mind."

Kara's piercing blue eyes met Megan's dazzling green eyes. The two of them looked at each other and despite the fact Kara lacked the mind reading abilities Megan did, she still felt like she was being mentally scanned, to be honest.

"I would have liked to know what he was…what they were up to but….."

Kara stopped her from speaking by putting a hand up. Megan closed her eyes with a smile and Kara moved closer to her. The Martian inhaled the scent of the Kryptonian and a tingle went through her body.

"I know we would have all liked to know what he was up to," Kara said. Her hand found Megan's with a squeeze. "Unfortunately…if you had gotten in his mind, you might have lost yours. So it's just for the best you didn't slip into his mind."

Megan responded with a nod and groaned. Kara pulled Megan over towards her for a moment.

"So, what do you think about Pegasus?" Megan asked.

A long moment passed and Kara frowned. She took a moment to think about it.

"You know, I don't know what to think," Kara said. "Chloe's on it, Barbara's on it, and….I'm pretty sure Felicity will be on it soon. One of those three should be able to deal with it and….well, I'm sure she might know something about it as well, or at least is investigating it…if she's see Claire."

Kara never thought she would miss seeing Alia. They had not spoke since the day of the Zod invasion. Alia left for some reason and Kara thought she would reenter her life. Every now and then, there was a hint Alia was out there and Kara figured she would return.

' _When there's trouble, she'll be there,'_ Kara said. _'By her admission, she doesn't find trouble….trouble finds her….'_

"Let's unwind," Kara said.

"How do you want to unwind?" Megan asked.

"Oh, there's one common way a lot of people unwind on Earth," Kara said.

Kara leaned towards Megan and their lips touched together in a long kiss. Their moist lips met together and eager hands started to travel over each other's body.

Megan melted into Kara's embrace. Her nipples hardened and pressed against Kara's chest. Those talented fingers moved at super speed and introduced more sensations in Kara's mind.

Kara's fingers touched the Martian's core and could feel the heat. This was going to be good. Kara released Megan and grabbed the underside of her breasts before going down to her shirt.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on August 5** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _Lots of nefarious goings on in this chapter. Also some M'Gann/Kara fun and debauchery, which is about the joy you expect it to be._


	88. Chapter 88

**Chapter Eighty-Eight: Children of Grace Part One.**

* * *

Claire Kent returned back to the Fortress as she had been doing every single day after her rounds. Bizarro remained in the tank. Claire could not help and feel sorry for this twisted abomination at times. Other times, though, she looked back at it and looked at how hideous this particular monster could be. Her hand placed on the edge of the tank.

In one sense, Claire thought she could put it out of its misery. In the other sense, though, she wanted to try and help him somewhere. Many people considered her to be a monster because of the powers she had. It was a hard situation to deal with. Claire looked at the backward and scrambled logic. Her intellect could not make any sense of it. Claire pressed her hand against the wall and frowned in response. A flash of light came around her. The one word came to her mind.

' _Pegasus,'_ Claire thought. _'What does it mean?'_

The sound of a figure flying behind caused Claire to turn around. Only less than a handful of people could take their way into the Fortress this way and they were all people Claire trusted. Kara dropped down to the ground and the two cousins approached each other.

"So did you have any luck?" Kara asked.

"No, nothing yet," Claire said. She took a moment to sigh and look towards Claire. "Please tell me you've had some luck on your end. I feel like I've been going around in circles trying to find some kind of purpose…..you know what I mean?"

"I have a slight idea," Kara said. "I've been going around in circles in the same way. Chloe's been looking into Pegasus, Barbara is looking into Pegasus...Felicity has been, and I've even thought….to get in touch with Alia."

Claire appreciated how desperate the situation had been if Kara turned to her half-sister. The two of them had a turbulent relationship with a lot of trust issues to work out. Claire knew the feeling, as it took her a while to learn to trust and work with Kara when she came to Earth. And she came to the same conclusion when she dealt with Helena.

"Are you this desperate where you would talk to her?" Claire asked. Kara cast one of those smiles towards her. "I'm really saying, that's all…the two of you….well you….."

"Not to interrupt your conversation, but I have something."

Chloe's voice cut through the Fortress and grabbed the attention of both Claire and Kara. The very moment she knew the attention had been grabbed by both of them, she pressed on.

"It took a lot of digging, in areas I shouldn't have dug….but I have something," Chloe said. "Something about Project Pegasus, and no, it has nothing to do with bronies believe it or not."

The moment Chloe thought her joke fell flat, she pressed on.

"It's a research facility outside of Chicago," Chloe said. Her voice grew somber a moment later before she pressed on. "It's to help meteor mutants who….well they didn't get any powers. No, they got really sick in the process, to the point where they….well they have cancer."

Kara and Claire gave an anxious look at each other. They already thought this one went in an awkward direction.

"The parents….well they received money for their treatment, and they really wanted to help their children," Chloe said. "The meteor shower….I really hate to tell you this, both of you this, because you're only going to blame yourselves even if none of it was your fault."

Claire already could guess which direction this one went and she could also guess how much she did not like it.

"Chloe, continue, please," Kara said.

"Fine," Chloe said. "As I was saying, the meteor shower….well it had more long-term consequences at the day it dropped. Dropping half of a planet's radioactive core on tends to…and we knew what happened to Lex….during long-term exposure. The people who had the meta gene got powers…even if it warped them before they were ready to accept them."

"Right," Claire said. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "And the people who didn't have the powers…they received…"

Claire could not muster the words out. Something had been caught in the back of her throat and refused to get out.

"So, they've been sent to this facility to get treatment," Kara said, picking up where her cousin left off. "Why do I get the feeling they're not getting treatment?"

"The facility is run by a kindly woman known as Mother Grace," Chloe said. "But….I'm sure you may recognize her underneath a different name."

An image flashed in front of Kara's watch. The Girl of Steel blinked the second she came face to face with Amazing Grace of Apokolips. She might have been a fair amount better on the eyes than Granny Goodness. The beauty of this woman thought made her even more deceitful and more cunning.

"Damn," Kara said.

"My words exactly," Chloe said. "So, anyway, we've got this facility, who have a bunch of children with their cells poisoned by the meteor rocks."

"And if I had to make a guess, they're trying to force them to have powers," Kara said.

"What would happen if the powers did not occur naturally?" Chloe asked.

Kara tapped her hand underneath her chin and closed her eyes. Several grim thoughts crossed the mind of the Girl of Steel. No matter how much she wished to banish them from her mind, they would not leave her alone.

"Each one of those children is a walking, talking, ticking, time bomb."

* * *

Morgan Edge learned several things over the past couple of days which put him on edge. He thought his empire would be waiting for him, but it was in disarray. Intergang terrorized Metropolis and several accusing eyes directed towards him. The court of public opinion struck at its hardest.

Edge had nothing to do with the attacks of Intergang. He remained as frustrated as the police as to the nature of what they were up to. All he knew was for the first time in a very long time, he was out of control and if there was one thing Morgan Edge detested, it was any kind of loss of control. The businessman drummed his fingers on the desk and waited for the man.

Ever since he had been let out of prison, things had changed. Many judged him to be a victim thanks to the growing anti-superhero sentiment. This feeling left him and now Edge remained back at square one.

' _Where is he?'_ Edge thought. _'He should be here by now….he thinks he's in control because he's the new golden boy, thinking he can be the next Lex Luthor. Well, I'll show him some respect if he crosses me.'_

Ever since certain facts came to light in a certain radio interview, Morgan Edge looked at Maxwell Lord with distrust. Everyone wanted to talk about how the crazed meteor mutant made a fool at of Godfrey. Edge focused more on the fact Lionel's long lost daughter made Godfrey look like an idiot and exposed a couple of people backing him.

' _Lionel, I swear you had more bastard children than I can keep track of,'_ Edge thought.

The door creaked open and a slick young man made his way towards Morgan Edge. The smug look on his face showed he wanted to be on top of the world. Maxwell Lord stepped in front of Edge.

"You're late," Edge said.

"Morgan, I'm a very busy man, time is money after all," Lord said. "And I hope you didn't call me here to waste my time. You'd think you would have your fair share of problems with all of the finger pointing. Unfounded by the way…because this Intergang is quite different than the one you ran….before you paid your debt to society."

"Yes, I've paid my debt to society," Edge responded. "Therefore, there's no reason for anyone to accuse me of anything, and for you to look at me like something the cat dragged in."

"Oh, I had no idea I offended you," Lord said.

The smug slickness in his voice made Edge want to reach across the table and strangle him. The older man's impulses calmed down. He watched Lord walk across the room and pull out a bottle of wine from his cabinet. The young man walked over and set two glasses down on the table. He pulled the wine bottle out.

"I had this imported all the way from Italy, vintage model," Lord said. "It really hits the spot. I'm sure someone of your elegant tastes could appreciate it."

Edge took the glass of wine. Lord downed his wine in half of a drink and smiled when he surveyed Edge over the glass.

"Why have you backed Godfrey of all people?" Edge asked.

"And here I thought you were never going to get around to addressing the elephant in the room," Lord said. "Like you, I'm a businessman….I make the decisions with best for business in mind."

"What about Pegasus?" Edge asked.

"Oh, you've done your homework, well done," Lord said. He would have patted Edge on the head, but thought better of it. "You see, it's a facility which helps children who have received cancer from the meteors which fell in Smallville twenty-five years ago. The poor children suffered through cancer….but their research is close to finding a cure."

Lord took a long and swift drink from the cup of wine. He continued to survey Edge over the top of the wine glass and watch for his response.

"And when the cure comes, business will be booming," Lord said. "Philanthropy is the future of business, and someone has to think of the children. Why couldn't be me?"

Edge could see through that particular seedy smile. He knew Lord was up to no good. It was the type of smile which he saw too many times when sitting across from a Luthor. He wondered if Maxwell had been another bastard Luthor. He would not put it past the man.

"And I have another guest who is dying to meet you," Lord said. "Come in."

An attractive brunette dressed in a conservative business suit with her hair clipped back in a bun stepped into the ground. The skirt came down to her ankles and the blouse had been buttoned up all of the way. Her brown eyes looked towards Edge and a smile crossed over her face.

"Mr. Edge, this is Mother Grace, she helps take care of the children at Pegasus," Lord said. "Mother Grace, this is Morgan Edge, I think you'll find him to be someone who might want to help out."

"Yes," Mother Grace said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Edge. I think we can do business together."

* * *

Kara and Claire dropped down, and they did not drop down alone. Donna and Diana came down from behind them. The four of them would need to get inside this facility.

Chloe had dug up more information in the meantime or rather had received some supplementary information from a rather trustworthy source.

"Officially, this particular facility hasn't been used in about three months," Chloe said. "Which is strange when you think about how much of a security risk it would be moving sick children around."

Kara frowned. She knew of the security risk and also knew of the sickening feeling rupturing in the pit of her stomach. Innocent children being used as potential weapons pushed all of Kara's buttons and they did not get pushed in a good way.

"I found another bit of information," Chloe said. "Pegasus is backed by Maxwell Lord."

Kara groaned at the name. This was the second time this particular name popped up and past experience with Lord told Kara nothing good could come out of this. He might come across as a dollar store version of Lex Luthor, but it did not make him any less dangerous.

"We're going to have to make our move and make it quick," Donna said. "Is it just me, or is it too quiet?"

"How many times have I had to tell you to never say something is too quiet?" Kara asked.

Donna responded with a shifty little smile and shook her head at her sister. The two girls locked eye to eye with each other. They were about ready to have an argument. Claire cleared her throat and both Kara and Donna turned around. Diana directed the stern look of death which put Helena to shame at her sister.

"Kara's right," Diana said. "And Donna's right as well…this is….."

"Someone's coming."

Claire's super hearing caught someone off in the distance. It did not seem to be anyone of any dangerous power, at least as far as she could tell. Claire tensed up, though. Training with Alia told her anything could be a threat, no matter how simple or seemingly harmless it ended up being.

Lucy Lane crossed from behind the bushes. She dressed in a bodysuit and looked to be ready for combat.

"What are you doing here, Lucy?" Claire asked.

Lucy Lane had been caught completely off guard by her sister's girlfriend, or at least she assumed it was hard to tell with those two, showing up. The younger Lane sister grew rather frustrated at being caught off guard.

"I'm certain I can ask the same out of you four," Lucy said. "This is a….."

"It's a restricted area, we're not supposed to be here, you're not supposed to be here either, you're coming here at great risk of getting thrown into some military court for treason," Kara said. "And there's a pretty good reason why you're here because you think this facility is breeding weapons out of cancer children."

Lucy blinked a couple of seconds later. Kara ripped the words out of her mouth with such force she did not know what to think about this.

"So, I'm guessing you know about Pegasus," Lucy said. "Good, then this will make this a lot less easier…..I've called in a favor and got security access….so I guess you better bring me along."

Kara knew the score, as did Claire, Diana, and Donna. They needed Lucy's security access to get inside and Lucy needed their super powers in case things went tits up.

"You know Maxwell Lord is behind this," Kara said.

"Yes, I know Lord is involved….along with this Mother Grace…who is really Amazing Grace of Apokolips," Lucy said. They all looked at her. "Don't act so shocked."

Kara smiled. Lucy did have a lot more going on upstairs than a lot of people gave her credit for, Lois included. This was the first time Kara saw her since the blow up from Chloe.

"And it's not working," Lucy said. A sound of blaring echoed around them. The shrill siren almost knocked the two Kryptonians off guard with their super sensitive hearing. "And now they know we're here."

' _Great,'_ Kara thought.

Claire could sense something off in the air and that feeling returned to the pit of her stomach. The feeling of sickness she could not place. It continued to haunt her through every single step of the way.

"Everyone brace yourselves, there's going to be trouble," Claire said.

A loud crack echoed through the sky and portals opened. Several armed women entered. Kara took a step back and realized who she was up against.

' _And this day just gets better,'_ Kara thought.

"And their security is ramped up," Lucy said.

"They're called Female Furies," Kara said. "They're some of the fiercest warriors in the universe, and the last time I fought them well...I got my ass handed to them."

Barda lead the Furies on the attack against her opponent's. She raised her hand and motioned for these soldiers to step forward and attack.

* * *

Lana Lang walked down the hallways of Shining Light Enterprises. A dark haired girl with purple eyes escorted her into the office. The girl made sure Lana got settled in.

"Ms. Evans will be here in a moment," Atlee said. "Can I get you anything? Coffee, maybe."

"Actually, a cup of coffee would be great right about now, thank you," Lana said.

This particular meeting had Lana jump through so many hoops, twists, and turns, she did not know where to begin. Thankfully, in the end, she got the meeting she wanted. Alia Evans had been a tough one to pin down for one simple reason. Alia stuck her fingers in so many pies and no matter how this sounded, it was not innuendo for her very active sex life.

Lana drummed her fingers on the desk in wait. The coffee had been placed in front of her. Lana took a long and simmering drink from the cup of coffee and waited. The wait seemed like a long one, only really lasting a couple of minutes. The office door opened and Alia entered the office with a wide smile on her face.

"Hello, Lana," Alia said. She stepped forward and shook the dark-haired woman's hand. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

"It's a pleasure to see you as well," Lana said. She pulled Alia into a hug. "You were the one who helped get me back on track after all of what happened."

"Yes," Alia said. "Although to be fair, you didn't need my help. I just gave you the encouragement you needed. You pretty much did the rest on your own."

"Well, thank you for helping me never the less," Lana said. "It's been a rough last couple of months...Godfrey running off of his mouth, it's been running Claire and Kara ragged….why haven't you been helping them?"

"My help….can be met with mixed results," Alia said. "I have not left them out to the wolves, though. I've been searching around the world to see what exactly Darkseid is up to."

Lana soaked in this statement from Alia. It made a lot of sense and also pointed to why Alia had been difficult to get ahold of. This particular answer raised more questions in Lana's mind, though. She did not know where to begin other than with the most obvious question she could think of.

"So, are you any closer to finding out anything about what he's up to?" Lana asked.

"I wish I was," Alia said. She poured herself a cup of coffee and added something a bit stronger. Not it would have done any good. "This entire Pegasus thing is building him an army….although there is enough to tell me….it didn't go as planned."

"How so?" Lana asked.

Alia took a moment to collect her thoughts. The folder shoved out on the desk in front of Lana. Alia almost opened the folder. She paused for a second before looking at Lana.

"I have to warn you this isn't for the weak of heart," Alia said. "Or the weak of stomach."

"I can handle it," Lana said.

Alia hoped for Lana's sake she could handle it. The folder opened up and showed Lana the same gruesome pictures she had Tess deliver to Lucy. Lana almost slid back in the chair.

"My God," Lana said. "What did they do to these children?"

"Horrible things, which they're going to burn for," Alia said. "They don't have the meta gene and trying to replicate it….lead to some less than desirable effects in some of them."

Lana looked at the gruesome disfigurement of the children. The pictures resembled a gruesome car crash. No matter how much Lana wanted to pull herself away, she could not. No matter how much she wanted to look away.

"Earlier results?" Lana asked. "Are you implying what I think you're implying?"

"Yes, there were future experiments," Alia said. "There's evidence at least one group of children received powers….although at what cost I can only begin to guess."

Lana had been struck with another frustration revelation.

"The parents, what about the parents?" Lana asked.

"The parents….I've never been able to reach any of them," Alia said. "After their children have been taken to the facility, it's like they dropped off the face of the Earth."

Lana's stomach twisted into another sickening knot. Her mouth dried up with the thought of what occurred. She could not even begin to spit out a single coherent sentence. She watched Alia's gaze travel towards her.

Something beeped underneath her desk. The signal Alia waited for. She reached underneath the desk and pressed a button which released a signal. Lana looked at her curiously.

* * *

The whips of Lashina smacked off of Claire's face. They sent sparks which even backed off the Kryptonian.

"I'm so glad you came back from the dead," Lashina said. "I can't wait to kill you again….."

Superwoman caught the whips and yanked Lashina forward. Superwoman nailed Lashina with a huge clothesline which brought her down to the ground. Two female Furies rushed her with staffs withdrawn.

Wonder Woman jumped in for the battle. The Amazon grabbed one of the Female Furies and hoisted her up before dumping one of Granny's elite on the back of her head. The other Fury tried to nail Diana with a kick. Diana caught the leg and flipped the Fury over. Diana rushed the Fury and speared the hell out of her. The Fury crumpled down onto the ground and resembled a particularly gruesome piece of paper.

Donna and Kara stood back to back. Knockout rushed towards Donna. The redhead Fury tried to live up to her name. Donna caught Knockout's arm and turned it around with a hammerlock, forcing the woman to her feet.

Kara had drawn the luck of the draw, the number one fury, Barda. Barda rushed towards Kara and tried to punch her.

"You know deep down what Granny and Grace is doing, is wrong," Kara said. "Come on, just think about it!"

"SHUT UP!"

Barda tried to use her rod on Kara. Kara flipped in the air behind Barda and stuck a rather crisp landing behind her. The Girl of Steel fired a series of punches which stunned her. Barda turned around and grabbed Kara around the neck. Kara slammed against the wall, the wind having knocked out of her.

' _Okay, I can't get through to her with my words, I wonder if my fists would be a lot easier.'_

Kara launched at Barda. Barda caught Kara and flung her down onto the ground. The second Kara hit the ground, Claire nailed Barda with an uppercut punch.

The two struggled with each other. Claire beat Barda once before, without her powers. She also had the element of surprise on her side. Claire backed Barda into the fence and wrapped her in the fence.

Barda brought out of the fence and rushed towards the Woman of Steel. Another blur came out of nowhere and nailed Barda with a martial arts strike to the throat. She fell back.

Kara's eyes followed the progress of Faora dropping down. She wondered what happened to another one of her half-sisters after the misadventures in the Phantom Zone. Faora used her super breath to back off the Furies.

"Let's go!" Barda yelled.

She slammed on the button and another portal opened. Claire tried to follow and it sealed shut. Faora flew in front of them.

Lucy walked down the hill in a surly mood. Her eyes followed the progress of another Kryptonian.

"Hello, Faora," Kara said. "Did Alia send you?"

Faora's lips cracked into a smile. "Was it so obvious?"

"Yes," Kara said. "One would get the impression she was up to something with how she's been avoiding us all over the past six months or so."

"Oh, she's been busy, you know how she can get," Faora said. "And this is pretty damning evidence Darkseid is connected to the Pegasus Facility."

"Mother Grace wasn't enough?" Lucy asked. "Lucy….."

"Lucy Lane, Major of the United States Military…although to a lot of the good old boys, you're a glorified coffee girl," Faora said. "Despite your brilliant mind….it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Faora Dru-Zod…and it looks like we're working together."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on August 9** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _So, the full details of the experiment of what Grace and Granny are after and it's not pretty._

 _And they get into a fight with the Female Furies because of course, they do._

 _Alia and Faora return and their help is really needed right about now._

 _Until Next Tuesday._


	89. Chapter 89

Week Thirty-One 2016 Chapter of the Week Poll Is Up. Take Part in Democracy and Vote Now At the Blog.

* * *

 **Chapter Eighty-Nine: Children of Grace Part Two.**

* * *

A Boom Tube cracked open and the Female Furies fell down onto the ground. The aches and pains of a defeat hit all of them. Barda groaned when trying to pull up to a standing position. The field leader of the Furies hated the humiliation which came along with such a defeat. The warrior's fist smashed into the side of the wall and resulted in a huge and intense crack. Barda pulled back a couple of inches and drew in a deep breath with an immense side.

The one and only Granny Goodness popped in front of the female Furies. The woman's demeanor faded away into the type of disappointment which Barda grew accustomed to during the training. Deep down, Barda knew and understood how dangerous this old gargoyle ended up being and how she brought the Furies down into a heap of despair.

"So?" Granny asked. "So, my children, let me get this straight? I give you one simple task. One menial little task, nothing too dangerous…"

The woman's tone softened for a moment. Barda and the other Furies remained on their knees before Granny. The entire group thought they would do much better underneath a firing squad of Apokolips.

"And you allow yourself to get beaten and sent back to your dear Granny utter humiliated!" Granny howled. "What the devil did you think would happen?"

"Granny, I…"

Granny's attention and large staff turned towards Barda. The dark haired warrior glared up at Granny without a single blink. Granny refused to back down from the glare either. Both women locked back and forth with a stare down. Neither conceded their position.

"Barda, to your feet," Granny said. "It seems to me you don't take your responsibility as the leader of this team as seriously as you should of. Why do you disappoint poor Granny?"

"If you think it was so easy to defeat three Kryptonians and two Amazons, why don't you go outside yourself and take a crack at it yourself?" Barda asked.

These words slipped out of Barda's mouth before any opportunity to correct herself had been properly presented. The strong warrior refused to take them back. The other Furies gazed at Barda. Lashina in particular directed a look as if to say Barda was insane.

"Mind your tongue!" Granny yelled. "Or it will be removed from your foul mouth."

Barda rose up to her full height and towered over Granny by a fair amount. Granny held a weapon which could drop the strongest of warriors to a knee. The old matron filled with doubts Barda could even be stopped. Granny looked forward to breaking the most rebellious of children and Barda had her rebellion.

"Leave me," Granny said. "I will think about how to punish you later."

Barda cast one more look at Granny. The dark haired woman turned around and left the room. Granny watched Barda department, eyes lingering against the woman's back for the next moment. With Barda gone, the full attention of the wicked woman turned to the rest of the Female Furies.

"As for the rest of you, Granny is disappointed in you as well," Granny said. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

None of the Furies spoke up. Granny smiled at the submission they showed. These virtues served good little girls well in the new world Darkseid intended to build for them.

"Very well, you may leave," Granny said.

The Female Furies all turned around and left before Granny had a chance to change her mind and punish any of them. Some of them thought and anticipated the fact punishment would be to come later. The nerve-racking feelings filled them the moment they left.

Granny watched the children leave and a more unfortunate replacement walked inside. Amazing Grace stepped in and looked at Granny.

"They discovered a facility which had been abandoned for two months," Grace said. "I wouldn't be too worried about it."

Granny's eyes snapped towards Grace. Both of these women of Apokolips entered a power struggle. Granny had the experience even if Grace had the most underhanded tactics.

"Not a concern?" Granny asked. "I'm afraid you're wrong with your assessment Grace. Just because there is no evidence we had been there, means very little. If there's any hint of our involvement, they can trace it back…and the plan will be ruined."

Grace responded with a crisp nod in response. Granny performed this lecture so many times, the wicked woman remembered it like the back of her hand. One could argue Grace remembered this lecture a fair bit better than the back of her hand.

"And if the plan is ruined, Great Darkseid will annihilate us," Granny said. "We will both perish."

Grace took a moment to smile in a pained way. Everything they had done resulted in a few headaches along the way. So close to returning Darkseid to the throne, and Grace hoped their master would appreciate the work having been put in on her end.

"You lack a certain way with dealing with problems," Grace said. "Every time you try and solve a problem, you attempt to do so through the application of blunt force. Do you even realize a more subtle and soft touch is necessary to get things done?"

"If you think you can do better, than by all means," Granny said.

The challenge dropped on the table and Grace refused to display weakness by not picking it up.

* * *

Every single new piece of information regarding Pegasus unsettled Kara. Ever since the Girl of Steel stepped into the world and went public as Supergirl, a never constant stream of lessons reinforced the bad people could do. No one accomplished much worse than Darkseid and the followers of Apokolips.

Kara entered the facility, with Claire, Faora, Diana, Donna, and Lucy. Expectations of what to find swirled around her mind.

"Be prepared for anything," Faora said.

The lights flickered on and empty tanks flashed in front of their eyes. Kara did not know whether to feel disappointed or relieved at the lack of contents in the tank. Claire stepped forward and tried to access the security panel. The panel shorted out the moment she touched it.

"They've disabled any attempts for us to get any information," Lucy said. "I'm not really surprised."

"You shouldn't."

A rather familiar voice caused Kara to turn around. Alia walked out of greater prominence from the shadows. The usual self-assured look on the Daughter of Zod's face disappeared and a more worn and war torn look had been replaced it. This look unsettled Kara almost as much as anything inside this facility.

"I'm sure you wanted to know where I've been over the past couple of months," Alia said.

"The thought crossed my mind," Kara said.

Kara did not have as much distrust as she did against Alia in recent years. Still, though, every time Alia popped up into Kara's life, a certain amount of trouble followed. Kara could not put her finger on what the trouble was. It just existed around every corner.

"As you have been, I've been trying to track down Darkseid," Alia said. "The master of Apokolips has been around for a long time. So, as I'm certain most of you can guess, he's not exactly the easiest person to pin down."

One sweep about the faces of everyone in the room showed Alia they guessed pretty much this. The moment a captive audience presented itself, the powerful young woman pressed on.

"All roads lead to this facility," Alia said. "Which as you could have guessed it has been cleared out after the past couple of months, or so they want it to appear."

Kara blinked at these words from Alia. Why did she always come across as somebody who wanted to challenge the preconceived notions of another?

"The computers in this place are completely trashed," Lucy said. "And they've cleared out all of the subjects and any…remains."

This particular word shot out of Lucy's mouth just as much as the bile at having thought such a thought wanted to. The brunette's breathing increased with each passing second. Alia placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes it has, and yes they have," Alia said. "But, there's always clues if you know where to look."

Alia stepped towards the containment tank. Some low-level waves of Kryptonite energy pulsed from the tank. Despite everyone in the room being shielded, they all could feel the burn. Alia stepped in and touched the cotton swab against the tank.

"Kryptonite radiation?" Claire asked.

"Of course," Alia said. "It's very subtle. They found a way to almost clean it down."

Alia walked over with the Kryptonite radiation sample and placed it into a container before the radiation could burn itself out. The container reflected the prominent, if not subtle, glow of the Kryptonite on the other end of the tank. The entire party walked over with Alia setting it on the table.

"Almost, is not quite," Alia said. "There are some things which they failed to account for. One of them was my greater than average intelligence."

"Along with your world class modesty," Kara said without missing a beat.

Alia ignored the biting words from her half-sister and returned to the matter at hand. This Kryptonite radiation flashed differently.

"And their attempts to force powers out of their test subjects resulted in them using more Kryptonite," Alia said. "Simple, and at the same time effective."

"Not to mention extremely barbaric," Diana said.

Diana's training contradicted with everything which had been done. The Amazon Princess intended to hunt down this Amazing Grace and break her. Very few times Diana experienced such a level of rage.

"Yes, I agree, and if anyone who will punish Grace, it will be me," Alia said. "Let's hope we can contain these children….and hope some of them, if not all of them, have help."

Alia hated the woman even more for this particular problem. The fact Grace ordered these children to be subjected to more radiation, some of them which caused greater and more disturbing physical mutations damned the woman's fate enough.

"Did she succeed I wonder?" Alia asked.

Lucy hated when people spoke in double talk. Working in the government should have gotten Lucy used to people giving the go around. Yet, the moment Alia said what she said, frustration bubbled to the surface and prepared to showcase why the Lane temper was not exclusive to Lois.

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked. "Don't you think…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, sometimes I can think out loud when working," Alia said. "They've managed to find out a way to insert the meta-gene into otherwise normal humans."

This statement hit them all. Claire decided to be the one to ask.

"How dangerous it this?" Claire asked. "On a scale of about one to ten, how dangerous is inserting the meta-gene into a human?"

"Very dangerous," Alia said. "Beyond a ten."

Claire's hand met forehead and a long sigh followed.

* * *

Seven children, as young as ten all the way into the early teenage years, lined up in a straight line. Their mother allowed them out to play and all of them anticipated the enjoyment which would follow. A little girl bounced a ball into the air. The ball grew faster as it rose and fell with each bounce.

Said ball shot out of the girl's hand and landed on the ground. A small hole burned through the ground. The other children looked towards the girl, the youngest of the group. The meteor mutant's shoulders slumped and a sheepish look spread far and wide.

"Sorry," the girl said in a light voice.

The door creaked open and all of the children faced front. Mother Grace stepped inside. The woman's tone sounded kind to their ears and the children resolved to do anything to her.

"Good morning, my children," Grace said.

"Good morning, Mother Grace!" the children droned in unison and monotone.

"And it's a very good morning to you, even though some bad people wanted to break up our happy little home," Grace said. Lips curled out into a pout. "Now, that wasn't nice, now was it?"

The children responded by shaking their heads. Despair entered the minds of the youngest children of being forced from their homes. With the oldest children, further emotions swelled through them .Hard and heavy teenage angst multiplied by a hundred fold hit them in the worst possible way.

"No, Mother Grace!"

Grace spent several months conditioning their minds to respond to her in a respectful manner. Maximum conditioning achieved maximum results. All Grace needed to do was snap her fingers with a gesture or a smile and these children responded to these words.

' _It's great to be in control,'_ Grace thought.

The pleasure of dominating someone so young swelled over the body of Grace. Grace leaned forward and placed a hand on the chin of the youngest girl.

"How does that make you feel, Britney, darling?" Grace asked.

"It makes me feel….makes me feel…makes me feel so angry," Britney said. "Why would they do something so mean? Why would they force us from our homes?"

The girl's rage bubbled to the surface. Grace placed a calming hand on the girl's shoulders. The ground heated up underneath their feet.

"Remember, what happens when you get angry," Grace said. "I want you to remember that anger, the next time you see Supergirl. And what have I told you about Supergirl?"

"Supergirl is evil!" the children droned.

Grace responded with a smile. This little blonde bitch thought she was so smart and so special. Grace resolved to have her in chains. The only place the Girl of Steel belonged happened to be at the feet of great Darkseid. All of the heroines on Earth would all kneel before Darkseid.

"Yes, a cruel, wretched woman who tries to act all bright and sunny, and all she does is cause problems, and force people from their homes!" Grace yelled. "It's because of Supergirl all of your birth parents are dead. How does that make you feel, Tyler?"

The oldest boy clenched his hands together and the ground started to shake along with him. Grace fired a look of warning and the teenage boy stopped.

"Angry, good, good, you should be angry," Grace said. "Focus the anger on Supergirl. Channel your rage and lead to her total annihilation. Make her scream, and make her squirm."

Grace turned over towards a board and pushed a switch. The board flipped over. The pictures of several members of the Justice League appeared on it.

"If Supergirl was your only problem, we would be right as rain," Grace said in a sweet voice.

The children's eyes snapped to the billboard they had been forced to commit to memory at the moment.

"The entire Justice League is our problem," Grace said. "They wish to put you in cages. They wish to send you to labs where you'd be experimented on. The Justice League would have rather seen you die them get the help and care we have given you."

Each child shifted in anger. Superwoman, Black Canary, Flash, Green Arrow, and especially the worst, and most evil of them all, Supergirl, flashed in front of their eyes. One of the children's fingernails extended and stabbed through the board with the picture of Superwoman. The girl retracted the claws and started to breathe.

"Good, you feel the anger," Grace said. "Perfect, it's good, it's wonderful. Channel the anger."

The children all responded with nods.

"Darkseid is light, Darkseid is life, and all of you will help the master, and will be rewarded," Grace said. "You will help us bring down the Justice League, and especially Supergirl. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Mother Grace!"

* * *

Alia hoped with any luck the moderate traces of radiation found at the Pegasus Base would lead them in the right direction. Several pieces of equipment laid all about the lab and Alia slapped them together.

"So, some kind of makeshift tracker?" Lucy asked.

"Yes," Alia said. "With any luck, we'll be able to track the children and hopefully save them."

The physical state worried Alia after the few hints she picked up. Those lab pictures acquired painted a very disgusting picture of what the first batch of victims went through. The physical state compared rather poorly to whatever mental or emotional state these people went through. Alia could not even begin to describe the profound disgust which passed over her body at the thought of these children being tormented in such a way. A twisting feeling erupted through her stomach.

"We'll know if it works in a minute, right?" Claire asked.

Alia raised a hand and everyone fell silent to give the Daughter of Zod plenty of room to work. A button pressed into the tracker device and Alia swiped it back and forth.

A beeping echoed through the lab, and not just any beeping, the most annoying beeping in the world. Donna's eyes widened and exchanged a look at Kara and Claire. The beeping bombarded the super hearing of both of Metropolis's protectors.

"At least we know it works," Donna said. "And it works with….one of the most annoying sounds in the world."

Alia set the device down the table and made another pair of calibrations to it. Another test followed and this time, the beeping became more subtle.

' _Foolish to let them know we're coming,'_ Alia thought. _'At least the device works for the small trace amounts of radiation.'_

"It's picking up a lot, isn't it?" Kara asked.

"The lab is coated with radiation," Alia said. Lucy shifted and Alia turned towards the young woman. "No more than what's being pumped into the air on a day to day basis, but I had to heighten the sensitivity of the scanner to make it work."

"So, is it supposed to make me feel better?" Lucy asked.

"No," Alia said. "I only intend to inform you what this scanner picks up."

Lucy slumped against the wall. Kara leaned closer towards Lucy.

"She's just being her usual….blunt self," Kara said. "I'm pretty sure nothing in here is going to cause you to grow any extra arms or a second head or….."

"Supergirl, you're really not making me feel any better!" Lucy snapped.

Kara smiled and put a hand down on her. Alia calibrated the scanner and this time, it did not go off every three seconds because of some microscopic level of radiation.

"So, did you get it to the level you wanted to?" Claire asked.

"It will do for now," Alia said.

Alia walked outside. Nothing in the air signaled any kind of problems. Alia still stepped out into the light and drew in a deep breath. No problems, at least in her mind. The scanner held in the palm of Alia's hand. The light on it flashed.

"So, where do we go?" Claire asked.

"North," Alia said. "And if the new facility is where I think it is, it's going to be treacherous, but I'm sure our military expert will clue us in on anything we needed to know."

Lucy refused to crack underneath pressure. Be as it may, having several sets of eyes locked onto her at the same time sobered Lucy up something fierce. The thumping heartbeat also resulted in several deep breaths coming from Lucy.

"Yes, if the facility is….well there's an abandoned government facility up to the North of here," Lucy said. "It had been shut down due to lack of funding….if I have had some time…..I'd do….."

"I've done some digging," Chloe said. "Yes, I know, boring day here at the office, but the government facility was sold to Maxwell Lord about six months ago."

"Shortly before the children of Grace had been moved on," Kara said. "There's way too much going on here which points to a coincidence."

Alia turned away from Kara and peered up the hill. Kara half expected some kind of comment to be fired out about how the Daughter of Zod did to believe in such things. Nothing happened and the lack of response unsettled Kara.

"Hey, we'll find them, alright?" Kara asked.

"I wish to rip Grace's head off," Alia said. "And if Lord has anything to do with this, he's joining her buried in the ground."

"You're not just going try and kill them, are you?" Lucy asked.

Lucy was not blind. The certain leaders in the military made problematic people disappear in the past. Still implying something bad happened and saying something bad would happen sat on the opposite ends of the spectrum.

"When I go out and do something like this, there's no trying about it," Alia said.

Alia hoped despite everything else those children could be saved. If they could not be saved, hell would reign over on the world.

* * *

Barda paced around the corridors of the temporary palace. On the outside, this location resembled a dump. On the inside, Granny had the Furies fixed up the place.

' _The gargoyle gets off on making us do back breaking behavior,'_ Barda thought.

The familiar sound of a Boom Tube signified the arrival of someone. Amazing Grace stepped from the tube and walked down the corridors. The smug expression etched on the woman's face achieved the maximum amount of concern for Barda. The wicked witch of Apokolips spun around the corner and walked towards Granny's quarters.

' _If she's happy, it can't be good,'_ Barda thought.

Barda danced on thin ice. One more step cracked her through to some kind of devious and endless doom.

' _Better go for broke, especially when there's nothing left to lose,'_ Barda thought.

Barda crept into the distance and positioned herself outside of the door. Granny and Grace prepared to engage in a conversation with each other.

"You're late," Granny said.

"These things take time, dear Granny," Grace said. "I feel you're cracking up….losing your touch, losing your glow. Why, you look worse than ever before, and it's saying something considering….."

Granny slapped Grace's hand away. The two women engaged in a staring contest with each other. Neither backed down from their gaze.

"Tell me they're ready," Granny said.

"They'll do the job your Furies started and failed," Grace said. "Time is running short on them….the outbursts are getting worse. Each and every single one of them is a ticking time bomb ready to unload on the Justice League."

Barda leaned against the wall and remained out of sight. What were these two talking about? Barda leaned as far in past the statue of Darkseid. Neither party leaned back and Barda remained out of sight, despite the notable handicap of being close to seven feet tall.

"It doesn't matter what happens to any of them at the end of the day," Granny said. "You filled their heads with dreams of the sunshine, happiness, and….a bright future. As if those brats have a place in the master's new world."

Grace smiled a wicked smile.

"They entered the facility, idolizing the Justice League, many of them loved Supergirl," Grace said. "I educated them on the fact Supergirl isn't the shining beacon of light she portrays herself as. They learned how their homes had been destroyed and their lives had been ruined."

"You're the only figure they knew for years," Granny said.

"And unleashing them in the wild would be the final nail in the coffin of the super powered people, "Grace said. "And if these children bring one or more of them down, so much the better."

Barda slumped against the wall, unable to believe a word of what she heard. Granny and Grace took a step too far.

"Yes, these brats will go to the grave thinking their heroes made them this way," Granny said. "I think I love you, Grace!"

Barda turned away before the love fest between the two wicked women ended. The mother box cupped into Barda's hand signaled her way out of there.

"And now, I must attend to Barda."

Barda slipped through the portal before Granny had a chance to do so. They had gone too far this time.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on August 12** **th** **, 2016.**

 _Yes, they all did go too far. Then again, they do work for Darkseid, so is there really a too far with that crowd?_

 _Until Friday._


	90. Chapter 90

**Chapter Ninety: Children of Grace Part Three.**

* * *

Kara stepped towards the location where Alia tracked these children of Grace. This particular named sickened the Girl of Steel to no end, but it worked in a couple of ways. Kara hoped to find them before it was too late. Donna walked a couple of steps behind Kara and Alia hovered a fair amount behind them. Both females wore those looks of misgivings upon their face.

Donna stepped closer towards them. Her hair stuck up on the back of the neck. She had a very bad feeling something was going to happen and soon.

"So, I'm going to be the first one to come straight out and say it," Donna said. "This has to be a trap, right?"

Kara turned her attention off in one direction and frowned. This retreat did not have a creature stirring in any single direction. The calmness brought Kara to a state of unease. She hovered above the ground and saw nothing up in the sky. Donna grabbed Kara's elbow and guided her down.

"There's nothing on the ground either," Donna said.

Kara waited for Alia to return. A rippling breath came through Metropolis's protector. Blue eyes shined bright when Kara hovered a couple of inches above the ground. Every single tick of the clock ground forward and for every second grinding by caused them to think their prize slipped away.

"I don't like this," Kara said. "I don't like this at all."

Donna answered with a nod, understanding where Kara was going with this one.

"Do you think she ran into something?" Donna asked.

The response to the question disappeared when a loud crack caught Kara's full and undivided attention. The Girl of Steel whipped around and saw a Boom Tube open. The last time one of those things opened, Female Furies spilled out. This time, Kara prepared for the attack. A large figure stepped out of the Tube, the leader of the Female Furies, in Barda.

The field Leader of the Female Furies looked up in time to see the Girl of Steel fly at her at the speed of light. The woman stepped to the side and made her way to the other end of the field.

"Wait!" Barda yelled.

Kara rushed Barda once more and tried to turn around towards her. The dark haired warrior of Apokolips avoided the punch. The ripple effect caused air to fold around where Kara's hand connected. Kara tried to drill Barda with another punch. This punch had been blocked as well.

"So, you're back?" Kara asked.

"Yes, I'm back," Barda said. She ducked the punch. "I'm not here to fight you….you need to listen to me….time is running out."

Barda caught Kara's arm and flipped the Girl of Steel to the ground. The throw caused Kara to land back first onto the ground and the wind to knock out of her. Kara rolled over with a loud hiss through her teeth before Barda took a step back.

"Look, I'm not here to fight you," Barda said. "If I was here to fight you, would I have even come alone?"

Kara managed to return to her senses. No, Barda, would not have come alone if she intended to fight Kara. Furies traveled in back. She really looked at the warrior's face and noticed something else. Something which one would not have been used to regarding the warrior women of Apokolips and that was a small amount of fear. Kara never saw any terror on the faces of these women and the very concept of it blew her mind.

"You have my attention," Kara said. "Why are you here?"

Barda saw both the Amazon and Kryptonian look towards her. Given the encounters they had in the past, she could not blame her.

"I'm certain you're on the hunt for these Children of Grace," Barda said. "That demented woman has been molding the Meteor Mutants…..on a brainwashing campaign to make them hate Supergirl and the rest of the Justice League."

Kara's heart dropped to her stomach and lunch rose somewhere to the vicinity of her throat. Cultivating hate within children happened to be a new and quite disgusting low, even for agents of Apokolips. Kara did not even know where, to begin with how disgusting this was.

"Yes, I know," Barda said. "She hopes to turn them on you….as weapons….I'm not sure what powers they have….I had to leave."

Kara took a moment to look towards Barda. The woman redoubled the pride one could have been used to from an agent of Apokolips. Kara resolved to look deeper and found the fear again.

"Granny blamed you for the failed attempt to stop us from finding those children," Kara said. "Or at least the former facility…and could they be….."

"They're not in there," Barda said. "They were there….but now they're not. Grace is having them moved…..disrupting their lives. And blaming you every single step of the way."

Kara answered with a snort. That about figured. Everything had been blamed on the heroes and now the children had been riled up.

' _So, they're ticking time bombs, and they're angry,'_ Kara thought.

Alia turned up and dropped in front of Barda. The two women exchanged one of those long glares. Kara wondered if she would have had to step in and mediate.

"So, you finally saw the light?" Alia asked.

"Yes," Barda said. "It took me a long time to come to my senses, but I've finally seen the light. And it didn't take too soon."

Alia reached up onto Barda's shoulder and smile. Kara raised an eyebrow and asked a question which had vexed her.

"So, the two of you….actually what am I asking, of course, you have?" Kara asked.

Alia responded with a smile and leaned over to grab Kara around the shoulder.

"I never thought she would break free from Granny's spell….only one other person I know has escaped that wicked woman," Alia said. "And it's good she finally came to her senses."

Barda could still feel Granny's presence and influence. It was hard for her to concentrate.

"There are some things you can never ignore deep down," Barda said. "I suppose it just took the right push...I just hope there's hope for the rest of them."

Alia would have liked to say there would have been hope for the rest of the Female Furies. Some of them lacked the strong resolve Barda did, though. Barda escaped with her wits intact, and others, they would not have been as unfortunate.

"So, did you find anything?" Kara asked.

"I might have a good idea," Alia said.

* * *

Grace understood how time was now of the essence. The manipulator snatched the last medical reports given from these children about six hours ago. The calculating set of brown eyes raked over every single word of the report. The news delivered on this end made Grace's lips curl into a devious little smile when she read them.

"Their powers are heightened, to the point where they will overload in no time," Grace said. "And thus, they will take countless innocent lives with them….and more distrust for super-powered."

One afternoon would make more headway to their plans than all of the worthless mud-slinging Glorius said on his radio show. Not his mudslinging had much merit these days, with his name being mud.

"I have to say, I'm impressed with this facility," Lord said, walking around. "Do you really think we can pull this off, though?"

Grace turned around towards the shrewd man, a man after her own heart, as torn and blackened as her heart might be.

"Yes, the children are ready, they've been very good, well behaved," Grace said.

Lord sensed something off about this woman. All he could do was just nod and smile at her. As long as she was delivering the goods and holding up to her end of the agreement, that was all that mattered in his mind.

"I'm certain parents would want to know what your trick is, to get their children to be so obedient and so docile," Lord said. "The people in the world need to know their heroes aren't perfect."

Grace cracked open the window and took in the fresh air. The purity almost made it gag. Soon, today would be step one of Earth becoming a colony of Apokolips. She turned giddy with anticipation and could hardly wait for step two.

"Do you think Mr. Edge will be on board for this?" Grace asked.

Lord looked on with a thoughtful smile on his face. The world could be beautiful at times. He likened it to a piece of clay which could be molded and twisted. Sometimes, though, the clay could have been smashed. The businessman pulled away from the mental tangent and answered Grace's question.

"Morgan Edge knows where his bed is buttered at the end of the day. He lost a lot of stature in prison, and….no matter how much bluster Edge gives in the media, the days of Morgan Edge being the kingpin of Metropolis are long over. I think you'll find how much he falls into line."

Grace smiled and looked at Lord. She was pretty glad everyone seemed to be on board with each other, very glad indeed.

"I'm just glad to have played my part in changing the world," Lord said. "And if you need anything, anything at all, then don't hesitate to ask."

"Oh, I'm certain we will be calling on you again, Mr. Lord," Grace said. "One more day….and I'd highly recommend you get back on your private jet. Everything is about to take a turn for the worse."

Lord frowned, wondering what she meant by that. He just reached forward and gripped the woman's hand. The two of them shook hands with each other a half of a second later.

"Fair fortune," Lord said. "And best of luck with you and your young charges."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Grace said.

Grace saw Maxwell Lord out the door. The man had his own agenda and Grace would not deny it. As long as their two agendas lined up with each other, she would be fine with whatever agenda he had. As long as it lined up with her own, Grace entertained Lord's plans.

' _Time to get into character.'_

Hair went up, the matron clothes replaced the suit, and a pair of thick glasses went on. Grace turned around and walked into the room. Seven restless children greeted her.

"We're not being moved again, are we? Please, we don't want to….."

The children's faces begging, saying they didn't want to leave, it almost tugged at the heart strings of the cruel woman, almost although not quite.

She did offer them a very sympathetic smile.

"I'm truly sorry," Grace said. "I didn't want to move you. I wanted to keep you where you were, but the Justice League gave me no choice. It was their fault you had to move."

This statement caused the children to start stammering at each other.

"I don't know why they would be so cruel….we're just trying to make this work out, as one big happy family. They hunt down people they don't agree with and they throw them in prison….that doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"No, Mother Grace!" the children yelled in unison.

Grace tried to look calm, even though a smile tugged at the corner of those devious lips. These children could be played just as easily as anyone else. The woman approached them and patted the youngest of them on the head. Grace went down the line and patted all of them on the head as well.

"There, there, my little angels," Grace said in a softened tone. "Everything is going to be alright…your next home will be better than ever. And the League will never hurt you ever again."

"I want to hurt Supergirl!" one of them yelled.

"Yeah, she's mean, trying to track us down like this!" another child screamed.

Grace smiled. Bless their little hearts. This was going to make the job so much easier when it was all said than done.

"Everyone come with me, we're going to go to your new home."

Each time she moved the children, the League drew closer. Grace pulled them away and the powers disrupted. The flow of their life needed to be steady for anything to work right.

"There, there, don't be upset," Grace said. "It's going to be all better sooner or later. You should not hold it all in this time, though, you should just let it out….."

Grace walked over to each child and kissed them on the forehead. The kiss doubled as a way to scan them and Grace's arousal heightened when she realized how close these children were to reaching their climax.

* * *

Supergirl hovered a few inches above the ground. Barda told her they were going to be moved again. Providing, of course, Barda was not lying, or someone did not deliberately mislead Barda. Donna joined Kara off to the side, and Alia followed them.

"So, do you think it's really coming in?" Claire asked.

"Yes, Superwoman, I know it's coming in," Alia said. "Get ready to make the pickup."

Alia braced herself for what was to come. These children came to them in a bad state. Time passed and Alia prepared to do what needed to be done. And if what needed to be done meant fighting children, then so be it.

' _Be prepared for anything,'_ Alia thought to herself.

Deep down in the back of Alia's mind, she knew what was going to come next. Those children were going to come out. Alia flipped the scanner out and it went nuts when pointing towards a truck.

"There's the truck….and the truck is about to crash!" Alia yelled.

Kara shot out in a blur of light towards the truck. The Girl of Steel grabbed onto the back of the truck to prevent it from spiraling out of control. The truck skidded to a stop and Kara flipped off of it.

The breaks had been put on and the metal doors crushed before Kara had been nailed in the face. A young man dropped out of the truck and levitated the door one more time before the door fired at Kara.

"Supergirl must die!"

A huge gust of wind blew at the Girl of Steel. Kara stepped back and returned fire with a gust of super breath of her own. A wind storm generated from the blowback of the attack. Kara flipped over and landed on the ground.

' _This is insane,'_ Kara thought. _'I can't fight children.'_

Kara tried to reason with the children. She needed to get them to understand what was happening.

' _I'm going to have to try and bring them back to their senses,'_ she thought to herself.

"Look, you're being manipulated by….."

Razor sharp claws caught Kara across the face. The claws stung even Kryptonian flesh and Kara staggered back. She dodged the attack one more time.

Donna grabbed claw boy around the shoulder. His entire body burned against Donna's hands. The young man flipped up over the ground.

"We don't want to fight you…."

"Too bad, because you're the ones who made us like this!"

One of the girls opened her mouth and an acidic cloud sprayed out towards the Girl of Steel. She dodged the attack with the acid causing the grass and trees to wither around her. Kara flipped over the back of the girl and lightly tapped her on the back of the neck.

"You don't hurt our friends!" the youngest of the girl said, bouncing red ball furiously. The ball shot from her hand and cracked Kara up against the face. Kara flipped back onto the ground and slammed back first into it.

Kara thought they would have to try for something else, although what she did not know. The Girl of Steel pried herself to a standing position and collapsed down onto the ground one more time.

"Look, I don't know what happened to you!" Alia yelled. She immobilized two of the children before they could attack. "We can get you some help….."

"If you're a part of the Justice League, all you can do is hurt!" one of them yelled.

A figure moved at super speed bouncing from one direction to the other. He hit Kara, then Alia, then Donna, and turned around for another figure hitting him at super speed. The Flash appeared in the light.

"I was just passing by and good thing," Flash said. "Sorry, kid, but you're a bit too slow."

Iris West understood these children were under duress so she tried to calm them down the best they could. Children loved the Flash after all.

Well except these children. One of them tried to nail her in the face. Iris dodged the attacks over and over again.

"No, no, no, they won't take us away!" one of the children yelled.

"Look all we need to do is get you some help," Iris said.

Those words sounded reasonable enough, at least in Iris's mind. However, the children refused to give in.

The child threw a temper tantrum which caused them to be launched back. Kara flipped over and grabbed the second youngest around the mouth before causing him to lose consciousness.

"No, no, not now, not now…..," the speedster said, grabbing two of his friends by the wrists and pulling them off as fast as they could.

The other children flashed out of the way. The Flash watched them leave and looked at Kara to the retreating backs of the children.

"Damn it, they can teleport now," Iris said.

"The situation has gone from bad to worse," Alia said. "They're not stable at all…and if they're not stable, there's going to be trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Kara asked.

Normally when one asked a question like this, there was plenty of dread. Alia increased the dread by declining to answer the question straight away. She hopped on the phone.

"Whitney, please tell me it's ready," Alia said.

A long and labored sigh from the speedster showed she was working on it, even though she ran into some unfortunate little flaws.

"This is delicate work, even if Karen and Helena are helping me," Whitney said. "Yes, it will be done in five minutes…..actually four minutes and fifty-two seconds."

Alia's hand almost met her face. Four minutes and fifty-two seconds were time they did not have. Yet, this was the best way.

"We're going to have to improvise," Alia said. "But, I'm not sure how much time we have."

Kara dreaded the answer to this. The children disappeared and they could be anywhere around the world. While they shouldn't be too hard to track, at least in theory, Kara worried about them.

* * *

Alia performed the last set of calculations. To say this situation would go from bad to worse would be understating things a whole lot.

"If these children are on Earth, they will cause an explosion," Alia said. "The explosion is going to level everyone…there's a lot of intricate scientific terms to it….but in the end, it's what it does. They're going to take out a lot of people and the League….well...I shudder to think what kind of brush you are going to get tarred with."

"I told you, they intend to ruin the League, because they symbolize hope on Earth," Barda said. A sigh escaped the woman's body. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"This better work," Alia said. "Any other result will lead to death….and those who die suddenly will be the lucky ones."

Claire blinked and sighed. Just like the meteors falling down. Some people were killed on impact. Others suffered from the curse of having powers they could barely control and barely could understand. Their bodies degraded alongside their minds.

Kara dropped down next to her cousin, angst radar going off of the charts. The two slapped hands together and Kara turned Claire around.

"No matter what, you can't blame yourself," Kara said. "You were a baby when those meteors fell….."

"Twenty-five years later, the meteor shower is still haunting people, and ruining their lives," Claire said. "And Smallville…."

A dismal thought hit though Claire. Kara could tell where she was coming from. No matter how much she said, this was a pretty bad situation regardless.

"These might be children of those infected by the meteors," Kara said. "You don't know…the records are sealed and then….."

Another voice cut in and stopped Kara's train of thought.

"Hey, guys, um, remember me," Lucy said.

"Yeah, Lucy, did you get into trouble?" Kara asked.

"Not yet, but you know how we Lane sisters are," Lucy said. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, there's a warp over the top of the cornfield where Superwoman's ship dropped down all of those years ago."

"Where are they heading?" Iris asked.

"Home," Barda said. "They're heading home…..Grace poisoned their minds and told them the League took them away from their homes. And for these children, this Smallville is home to them."

Kara thought this made about as much sense as anything else in this insane world. The Girl of Steel wondered what could be done next.

"So, is it ready, Whitney?" Kara asked.

"Yes, I'll….." Whitney said. "I hate you sometimes."

Kara rushed over with the device in her hand. She clutched a cannon with glowing crystals affixed to it.

"Will it work, though?" Claire asked.

"Of course, it will work, I designed it," Alia said.

Alia's world class modesty aside, Kara knew they would have to make it work now. They were running short on time and this wasn't the sort of thing they would test. Kara, Iris, Alia, Claire, and Barda made their way outside of the fields.

The little girl rushed over towards them, screaming her head off.

"Please help me…..I feel cold, I don't feel so well…"

The screams of the little girl grew and became even more unnerving. The discomfort in the more child's face made it extremely unbearable to deal with.

' _Damn it, it's beginning.'_

The girl collapsed on the ground and started to cough. Green blood spilled from the poor thing's lungs and the child's body started to shake.

"No, you're not breaking up our family again."

The oldest child walked over, with the others following them. He stepped in front of the little girl.

"Mother Grace will fix this," he assured them. "What do you have to say about that?"

The magnetic pulse in the air caused a strange and disturbing type of energy to emit from these children. Alia snatched the cannon from Kara and held it against them. The Daughter of Zod pulled the trigger and implanted the youngest one with a crystal.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this!" Alia yelled.

Several more pops came off and the crystals implanted into the children one more at a time. For a few seconds, nothing occurred and sickening feeling the crystals had not been calibrated to deal with this occurred.

The children glowed and energy sucked them into the crystals. The crystals emitted an intense heat and hovered above the ground. They threatened to smash into the ground.

"Catch them!" Alia yelled.

Iris caught four of the crystals in her hand and Claire caught the remaining three. The sickening feeling of what could have happened to these children and what did happen reached a fever pitch.

"So, it's done," Alia said.

Alia turned around a few seconds later and turned to walk off towards the edge of the field. The scanner popped out and scanned every inch of the field. Several seconds passed and Alia sighed.

"So, what's the damage?" Kara asked.

"None, the radiation levels tapered back to normal," Alia said.

Nothing would be normal until Alia got her hands around Grace's throat and snapped the bitch's neck. These children did not deserve this. They had been poisoned. To think those so innocent had such hate in their eyes caused Alia's spine to roll down with shivers.

"What happens to them now?" Iris asked.

"I transported them to a dimension where they won't do any harm, and they're locked into stasis," Alia said. "With time I can cure them physically."

No one had it in them to ask if they could be cured in an emotional or physical manner. The scars of both would linger for quite some time. Alia walked to the side of the field. Those children would have been the first to go and countless people in the Midwest would have been wiped out along with them. Alia dropped to her knee in the middle of the field and punched a hole in the ground.

Kara tried to approach Alia but knew it would not be wise. Alia turned around and flew off without another word. The sound of a water tower being tipped over in the background filled their ears.

"It will all get better, right?" Iris asked.

Claire hated that particular question.

"I can't lie, Iris," Claire said.

Claire only said that. Iris thought it was more than enough, to be honest.

* * *

The smallest and most subtle jolt in the electromagnetic spectrum resulted in jolts which vibrated the fabric of time and space. The Past, present, and future aligned in perfect harmony to prevent it from unraveling. The slightest disrupt opened a window to see into the present.

Magnetic disruptions resulted in a small rift where a devious person could open a time tunnel. Most would not try, given if they did not time the jump right, they would be crushed by the limbo between time and space. It only occurred when people had nothing left to lose.

A man dressed in black body armor fell through the portal and dropped down onto the ground. Heavy breathing followed when this man tried to pull himself to his feet. All of his limbs were intact and the box still clutched in his hand.

' _I'm free,'_ he thought. _'Free from the time tunnel.'_

The fugitive stepped forward. He brought up the scanner on his suit. It was time to see what period of time he had managed to escape to.

"Computer, where I am?" the fugitive asked.

"You are one thousand years in the past," the computer said.

The fugitive did the math in his head and sneered at the more primitive time he was in. It took him a second to realize he had been dropped down in the middle of the age of heroes as well.

' _Heroes, fools who inspired the League which haunts me throughout all time,'_ the time bandit said.

The black box in his hand offered him the key to bringing forward someone who longed to conquer all of time. The Legion thought they banished him previously, but his master was not easily banished.

"Hey, are you lost, buddy?"

The armored figure turned to a group of young adults who dressed in the deplorable outfits which passed for fashion in this century.

"Yeah, he would have to be lost, wearing something like that," one of the men in the car said and he high-fived his body.

Their laughter dug through the man and rage soon followed. How dare these rejects of the twenty-first century mock him like this?

"Insolent insects!"

The man raised a hand and an energy beam shot out. The explosive crackle announced the impact of his blast The truck flipped over several times before it landed with a stop. The people trapped inside had no chance. They had been crushed by the truck.

A jolt of energy erupted through the time bandit's suit. The Legion tracked him through time and space and they were one of the few who had the capabilities to keep a time tunnel open.

' _Have to hurry.'_

* * *

 **To Be Continued on August 16** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _The children are saved, in the sense, they are still alive. But that must have warped them from the rest of their life._

 _As if our heroes didn't have enough problems, we had a criminal from the distant future._

 _Until Tuesday._


	91. Chapter 91

_Week Thirty-Two Chapter of the Week Poll At the Blog. Vote Now.  
_

* * *

 **Chapter Ninety-One: Visitors.**

Grace watched the results of the battle or rather the lack of results. The woman spent years cultivating this plan. So many years trying to manipulate a small group of children to be her little puppets, and now the plan didn't even work. The woman's hand curled into a fist and the breathing turned to a deeper and deeper manner. She could have dug her nails into the ground and spit white hot fury.

And what was worse, that bitch would never let her hear the end of it. Grace lingered so close to becoming a more loyal and devoted servant to Darkseid than Granny Goodness could ever hope to be. All of it had gone up in smoke, in an instant. The woman slammed her hand against the wall. Knuckles stung when the skin scraped off of them.

' _This isn't over, they'll pay for this.'_

Granny Goodness walked in and moved over towards Grace. Grace really wished she could be more cheerful at the angry mood Granny Goodness put herself in. The lack of enjoyment Grace experienced though had to do with her own failures.

"I brought her up from nothing, and made her a warrior," Granny said. "I brought that little wench up from being worth nothing more than being able to turn tricks for the men who go to war to make Apokolips what it is. But, I saw potential in the wench. I saw potential in this foolish little girl. I THOUGHT SHE WOULD BE LOYAL!"

Granny whacked the staff off against the wall. The staff energy zapped against the wall and rattled it. The woman took a couple of long breaths and looked about ready to snap in pure rage. The staff rattled off of the wall with one more wild swing.

"After all, I've given her, this is what she gives me in return," Granny said. "After all of the times, I made sure Barda would be the best she could be. THIS IS THE THANKS I GET!"

' _Well, someone isn't happy today.'_

Grace allowed Granny to let off some steam. Barda's betrayal came at the most appropriate time for Grace personally. The manipulative woman knew how to turn these matters back around. She watched as Granny paced back and forth with breathing.

"One day, I will get my hands on her," Granny said. "It's because of her this plan has failed."

"Yes, it was all because of her," Grace said.

Granny snapped out of the rage and turned her full attention to Grace. Those beady little eyes, the stuff which nightmares were made of, focused straight on Grace. Granny raised the staff and poked it into the chest of Amazing Grace.

"Don't you think I haven't forgotten about what part you've played in this, my dear Grace," Granny said. "All of the well-laid plans, they had been wasted."

Grace knew Granny would try her best to reflect the criticism of this entire mess back on her. Well, Grace prepared to fight.

"Yes, wasted because you couldn't keep track of one of your Furies," Grace said. "She was the one who pointed the Justice League in the right direction. This entire mess is on her head….and on yours as well."

Granny resembled a dragon who was about ready to spit white hot coals at the ground. Grace's hand snapped forward and touched the side of Granny's shoulders.

"It's not all lost, we still have….."

The old gargoyle snapped into place and snarled at Amazing Grace.

"Don't tell me what we still have!" Granny yelled.

Granny turned around and looked out the window. The woman seethed in pure rage. The fire burned through the eyes of the wicked and spiteful woman. Further anger spread through the woman's body. She would have liked nothing better than to crush that little wench underneath her foot. Then Barda would follow soon after.

Everything turned out for the worst. She could not believe how awful everything ended up being.

"The Master will not be pleased with this setback," Grace said. "And will not be pleased by you not inspiring greater loyalty in your troops."

Granny's eyes flared and she turned back towards this arrogant woman. She spoke her words, but much like her brother, she lacked the strength to actually get in the trenches.

"Do not lecture me on what the master will not be pleased for!" Granny yelled. The staff rose in the air. "I am far more loyal….."

"Are you?" Grace asked. "My talents would be worth much more to him than you would be…"

Energy fired from the staff at these words. Granny caused Grace to fly backward to the ground with one blast. The wicked woman stood over the more beautiful, but still wicked woman. Grace grunted and pulled herself to a kneeling position. Granny stopped the other woman from rising to a standing position with a hand cupped beneath her chin.

"Those talents seemed to have brought you down to a more appropriate place," Granny said. "Down to your knees, where a woman of your stature should feel at home."

The not so subtle implication hit Grace in the face. Granny showed mercy and allowed Grace to rise to her feet.

"Your brother failed to properly destroy the Justice League's reputation by descending to a cartoonish level of character assassins," Granny said. "And now, you failed to accomplish one simple goal. Lead these children where they need to be."

"I'm not certain why….we're on schedule."

Granny's laughter became more bulldog life. Grace tried to pull back up to a standing position. Granny's eyes burned down onto the woman.

"Yes, we're on schedule, and yet we haven't acquired the element," Granny said. "The element will not be available for another one hundred years on this planet. Those children were supposed to open up a gateway."

The Daughter of Zod and her annoying interference displeased Granny. Granny blamed the bitch for breaking the spell over Barda. The old woman vowed to redouble the conditioning on the other Female Furies. This could not be allowed to happen again. This would not be allowed to happen again. Granny would have her day.

"Yes, they were but….."

The scanner started to beep next to them. Both Granny and Grace came face to face with the first piece of good news.

' _About time something went right.'_

* * *

Lucy tried to resolve to be the better person. Providing Lois showed up as well. She had a lot of time to think and both Kara and Chloe had some good points, even through the rather blunt and abrasive way they shot out those points.

' _Well, here we go, for better or for worse.'_

Lucy turned the corner into the café. Lois sat there sitting at the table. Both of the Lane sisters locked eyes with each other.

"Well, one thing has changed since we were children," Lucy said. "There you are at the table, punctual and on time…..I'm impressed."

Lois gave Lucy one of those shifty little smiles and looked at the chair offered to her with some apprehension.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to pull it out from underneath you like I did when I was nine," Lois said. The reporter stopped and looked at the younger woman. "And I'm beginning to see why we have so many issues."

Lucy remembered those issues well. Some of them had to do with the death of their mother, and Lois doing her best to take responsibility.

' _Maybe I was too hard on her,'_ Lucy thought. _'But, she's too hard on me too.'_

"Well to be fair, I think we both had our share of responsibility for….what happened," Lucy said.

Lucy took a moment to sit down in front of Lois. The chair did not get pulled underneath her true to Lois's promise. The two of them locked eyes with each other. The table represented a space between the two of them which needed to be cleared.

"Look I just want to say…"

"That you're sorry?" Lois asked. "Actually, I better apologize first. I better apologize for all of the rotten stuff I put you through when we were children."

Lois took a moment to recollect her thoughts. The normally quick-witted woman found herself at a loss of words, which ended up being pretty rare in this situation. She wondered what to say to her sister.

"It's….well it is what it is, Lucy," Lois said. "I'm not going to make any excuses…..I'm done making excuses if you want me to be honest with you…..actually, I think you deserve a reason why I acted that way."

Lucy smiled and reached over the table to touch Lois's hands. The gesture between the two helped heal the agitation both girls felt.

"Mom died when we were both young, you barely remembered, but I did," Lois said. "And Daddy….well he changed a whole lot."

Lois calling Sam Lane anything but "The General" jarred Lucy a lot. She knew it was serious when Lois spoke like this.

"So, I guess, I didn't want to lose you as well, just like I lost both of my parents," Lois said. "Sure, the General was alive, and he provided everything I needed….we needed….but there was a part of him that died with Mom."

"I always knew him how he was," Lucy said. "And he always seemed so disappointed in me, like he thought I could do better."

"That's really funny," Lois said. "Because I could have sworn he thought the same thing about me."

Lucy took a long sip from the coffee and sat up. Her thoughts swam around in a circle, and a long breath followed after they circled around.

"I guess he thought we could both do better," Lucy said. "Because, you were….well you were impressive. Larger than life, and I resented that….anything I could do, you could do better."

"And I wondered how you did it, how you could be so perfect," Lois said.

"Lois, you have….a rather skewed view," Lucy said. "If I was so perfect, would I have gotten involved in the shoplifting ring which got me sent off to Boot Camp?"

Lois blinked. She had no idea why Lucy had gotten sent off to Boot Camp. It was a long time ago, so she did not press.

"Yeah, Daddy's perfect little girl thought she would take the easy way out," Lucy said. "At first, it was simple stuff….but….I got caught….Dad shipped me off and….the trip straightened me out. I'm not going to lie…..it was for the best….but if I could go back…"

Lois placed a hand over her sister's and gave her a smile.

"You don't know what you would do if you went back," Lois said. "Maybe making that mistake stopped you from making a bigger mistake which even a trip to Boot Camp couldn't fix."

Lucy smiled. Lois had a point and boy did she hate Lois when she had a point.

"You never know," Lucy said. "Boy, we averted a bullet the other day….I'm sure Claire or Kara must have told you about it, though."

"Yes, that's….Grace is an awful woman," Lois said. "Then again…..this comes with being from Apokolips. None of them are exactly what you would call a cheery bunch."

Lucy wrinkled her nose. Boy was that not the truth. The younger Lane sister situated her arms underneath her chest and responded with a frown.

"What is the government doing about Apokolips and Darkseid?" Lois asked.

"I don't know…they're too busy talking about superhero registration," Lucy said. "They're trying to say it's for the public safety but…"

Lucy knew all about double-talk, to be honest.

"They want super powered weapons underneath their control," Lois said.

Lucy pulled a disgusted face and nodded. The government had this ability to bitch about superheroes all day and all night. Yet, when a crisis occurred, they needed those same heroes they bitched about.

"I didn't really want to talk about my job when we were having this nice lunch," Lucy said. "No offense it's just….."

"I understand," Lois said.

"So, could you tell me anything…about our mother?" Lucy asked.

Lucy had been afraid to ask. The one time she asked the General, he clammed up about it and told her he had a lot of work to do. The woman's death did affect her.

"I wish you would have had a chance to know her," Lois said. The hard-nosed reporter got a little misty eyed" She was an extraordinary woman."

"Lois, are you crying?" Lucy asked.

"No, just the onions in this soup," Lois said.

Lucy smiled, knowing this place like the back of her hand and knowing they did not put onions in their soup.

"Sorry, continue, once you…get over your onion allergy."

Lois closed her eyes and returned to the conversation at hand.

* * *

Alia positioned herself in front of a viewscreen and watched the events of the battle. Every single time she watched having to shoot those children, the images of what she would like to do to Amazing Grace and Granny Goodness flicked through her mind. They would know pure torment.

Faora, Gwen, and Karen appeared on the other side of the doorway. Gwen turned towards the other two women. None of them wanted to break the silence. Gwen decided to be the one who was trying to take the bullet.

"So, how long as she been like this?" Gwen asked.

"For about an hour," Karen said. "I've known not to get involved when she gets obsessed like this….just it's the best for your sanity."

Gwen watched the images of the battle. She had been off elsewhere doing the Spider-Woman thing and could not enter the thick of things. The battle looked intense and Gwen could see in an instant how this hit all of Gwen's buttons in the wrong way possible. Those children were victimized and it caused a stirring in the pit of Gwen's stomach.

' _Disgusting.'_

Faora decided to do what neither Gwen nor Karen thought to do. She walked behind Alia. The laser focus of the Daughter of Zod continued to move towards the view screen and the girl did not blink even for a second when looking at the screen.

"Um, Alia," Faora said.

Alia snapped out of her thoughts and turned towards her sister.

"We're missing something," Alia said. "We're missing something big. I can see it, but what is it? What are we missing?"

Alia backtracked on the battle. Each of the children went into the pocket dimension where Alia hopefully could cure their physical ailments. She slowed down the battle to the most minimal speed possible. Alia froze the battle on screen.

"What is….is that what I think it is?" Gwen asked.

Alia did not answer straight away. She backed off on the battle and allowed the energy waves to flash over the screen one more time. The Daughter of Zod's lips curled into a shadow of a smile. Strained given what the children of Grace went through.

"We'll know in a minute," Alia said.

The Daughter of Zod started to punch up the coordinates on the side of the screen. The coordinates flashed in front of her. The Daughter of Zod's frown went deeper yet when she looked at the screen.

' _It can't be, can it?'_ Alia asked. _'It should be impossible.'_

Alia knew at this point never to discount anything as impossible. The Daughter of Zod watched the edge of the screen and the images flashing over it.

"Please tell me this isn't another breach in the Phantom Zone," Gwen said.

They recovered recently from the latest breach of the Phantom Zone and they really didn't need to deal with another one. Alia sighed and double checked to make sure everything was in order.

"No," Faora said. "If it was a breach in the Phantom Zone, then there would be no need to search for it. and Alia wouldn't be as relaxed as she is now."

Gwen blinked in surprised. It would be rather charitable to call what Alia was right about now to be relaxed. Regardless, though, Gwen went with it. What else could she do?

"I think I know what they were after, and…they didn't get it, but they opened up the gateway to something," Alia said. "He was carrying it when the time tunnel tempted him."

Everyone in the room realized Alia just described the one thing which might be worse than a breach in the Phantom Zone.

"Time tunnel?" Karen asked. "Oh, you have to be kidding me."

Time tunnels could only be opened after the fluctuations between past, present, and future had been disrupted in such a way where people could pass through with ease. Karen could have slapped a hand to the top of her head because of this problem.

"No, I wish I could have kidded you about this," Alia said. "Someone has opened up a time tunnel from the not so distant future."

Alia started to punch in the coordinates on the screen and images flashed in front of her.

"Indigo, lock onto this place, please," Alia said.

"Yes, at once," Indigo said. "Alia, it appears as if someone has dropped down and they are on the move."

Indigo tried to lock onto the person on the planet. He was moving so quick it was even hard for the artificial intelligence to keep up.

Alia frowned and only offered one word.

"Interesting."

"So, they're not some traveler who got sucked it," Karen said. "They know exactly where they're going."

"I fail to see how that's any better," Gwen said.

"It isn't," Alia said.

Plenty of more work to be done and very little time to do it, really bad pun, unfortunately, intended Alia punched up another pair of coordinates on the screen and hoped to close in on this guy. If her guess was correct, and it almost certainly was, there would be some people on the way to deal with this time bandit.

* * *

Kara stretched out. Dressed in tight black yoga pants and a white sports bra, the Girl of Steel was ready to go. She adjusted the red solar band on her wrist. This blocked her powers and allowed for a more level playing field against her adversaries.

Donna joined Kara, dressed in a pair of black spandex shorts and a tight black top. The two of them made their way into the center of the sparring room.

"So, what a day, huh?" Donna asked.

Kara stretched a couple more times. Donna shifted her eyes to watch the show before turning back to the conversation. Kara peaked over her shoulder, flashing a shifty little smile at her friend.

"Yes, it's been one," Kara said. "And the day is just beginning, we're going to have to keep in tip-top shape if we're going to be able to deal with Darkseid."

Diana left to talk to their sisters, to prepare for what was coming. Donna thought, hoped, perhaps foolishly, Darkseid's plan had failed with the Children of Grace. Experience taught the young Amazon Princess differently.

"Ready?" Kara asked.

"Let's do this."

Donna dove into the floor and tried to take Kara down. Kara slipped out of Donna's takedown and grabbed the Amazon Princess around the waist. The throwing takedown took her down to the ground. Kara grabbed Donna's arm and pinned it towards the Amazon's back. Donna reached back and gripped Kara.

A throw caused Kara to land on her feet and stick a perfect landing. Donna returned fire with a kick. Kara caught the kick and took Donna down. Donna bounced to her feet and flashed another smile before charging back into the attack.

"You're improving," Donna said. "That's good to see."

The two of them engaged in a sparring session. Kara took Donna's legs out from underneath. The Girl of Steel positioned herself on the hips of the wonderous female warrior. Kara smiled and leaned down, almost touching chest to chest with the other woman.

"Yes, and you still look good on the bottom."

Kara allowed Donna some room. Donna went towards her. Kara turned Donna around and pushed the Amazon down. A back mount caused Donna to go down on the ground. A light slap smacked against the Amazon's tight ass. Donna shuddered when Kara gave one more spank to her ass for good measure.

"Not fair," Donna said.

"Hey," Kara said. "You said everything is fair in sparring…and I'm sure Diana would tell you the same thing."

Kara punctuated this statement with a light lick to Donna's ear lobe. Donna shuddered from the action before the feisty alien let the spunky Amazon off of the ground.

"Lucky shot."

Donna tried to nail Kara. Kara avoided the attack and hooked Donna before rolling the Amazon to the ground with a rolling ankle hold.

"No, it would have been a lucky shot if you would have hit it," Kara said.

Kara pressed on top of Donna. The other girl squirming underneath the Kryptonian survivor gave her a sense of power and control. It lit a fire underneath Kara's body and deep inside the other girl's loins.

"You're still….very lucky," Donna breathed.

"Oh, am I lucky?" Kara asked. "We'll see, won't we?"

Kara responded with a light nibble against the side of Donna's ear. Donna shuddered in response before Kara let her up. The Amazon charged in for the attack one more time.

Another flip brought the trained warrior down onto the ground. Kara mounted the top of Donna and grinned. Both girls pressed against each other. The heat rolling off of their bodies grew rather intense when Kara leaned down.

"I can do this all day and all night, baby," Kara said. "Do you have it in you to give up now?"

"I don't give up," Donna said. "I won't give up."

Kara allowed Donna up for the next round. The two of them engaged in a spirited little exchange of punches and kicks. Kara used Donna's leverage against her.

"One would think you're getting excited with being dominated like this," Kara said. "Don't lie Donna."

Donna's nipples poked out from Kara being on top of her. Something about the battle caused the Amazon to grow horny and something about being dominated increased this horniness.

"You like, don't you?" Kara asked. "I don't blame you, really I don't….you can't help yourself, you can't help, but gush in your little panties for me, can you?"

Kara slid a hand down Donna's shorts and touched those panties. Donna realized Kara would perform the ultimate act of submission.

"Please, Kara," Donna said. "Do it!"

The Girl of Steel paused, fingers brushing against the band of Donna's panties. She smiled knowingly and hungrily when peering down.

"Since you asked me nicely."

* * *

Kara pulled away from the drooling Donna in time to look towards the headset. It blipped and Kara walked over.

"Yes?" Kara asked.

"Kara, we just disturbed a strange fluctuation of temporal energy….it was right over Metropolis," Alura said. "It's….well we don't know what it is."

Kara could only begin to guess what it was. Multiple theories came to mind and one of the main theories was, this little plan from the Children of Grace and Mother Grace had been accomplished, at least to some twisted extent. Kara pushed those thoughts into the back of her mind.

"I'll check it out," Kara said.

Kara's cell phone went off. She didn't waste any time answering it.

"Yes, Alia, is this about the temporal energy wave which has been seen over Metropolis?"

* * *

Time travel could only be so inconspicuous especially when the parties traveling back through time were a thousand years into the future.

"Wow, retro fashion!"

"Could you please keep it down? It's not retro in…what year are we in again?"

The three figures stuck to the shadows and surveyed the landscape of them. They could calibrate their high-tech timepieces to find out what year they were in.

"It's right in the middle of the second age of heroes," one of the time travelers said. "Or is it the third age? Historical records are…"

"The further we get through history, it becomes more incomplete, we know it," the leader of the trio said.

She stepped a bit out of the shadows, not trusting her two compatriots to do anything which would jeopardize the mission. Her blonde hair shined in the light and a pair of blue eyes shimmered as well. The white and silver bodysuit enhanced a healthy amount of curves. Imra Adreen, better known as Saturn Girl, led the Legion of Superheroes in the future.

A wide-eyed dark-haired girl stepped out next. Despite the innocent face, the girl boasted of some killer curves. Full breasts, wide hips, and long dazzling legs, all stretched in a bodysuit. The suit split to expose a slight bit of a toned stomach. Tinya Wazzo, better known as Phantom Girl, stuck her head around the corner.

"Maybe we should have gone over the meaning of the term inconspicuous before we got here," Imra said.

"Hey, relax, it isn't every day we see…..look the Daily Planet!"

The third girl's red hair had been cut short. Her brown eyes shined out. Her body was not quite on par with the other two, but there was no shame in that. Her black top contained a silver lightning bolt. The girl's skirt came down to expose a healthy and toned set of legs. Ayla Razz, better known as Lightning Lass, made up the third member of the Legion Trio.

"Yes, we know what it is, it's only in all of the history books," Imra said. "He's close…"

"What did he steal?" Tinya asked.

"A rare element where if it's introduced to this time period, it will be a catastrophe," Imra said.

She pressed a button on the side of the watch. Their clothes turned to mimic the clothes of the time period. All of the glorious fashions, which would be woefully out of date ten minutes from now knowing their luck.

"Wow, people...I look really…wow," Tinya said.

Words had not been invented at any time to describe the fashions of this particular year. The three Legion Girls turned around the corner and walked into the distance.

"Do you think we're going to run into Superwoman?" Ayla asked.

"Maybe, but….we can't interfere with the progression of events," Imra said.

Depending on what theory of time travel you subscribed to, such meddling could lead to some huge problems which they would not be able to fix.

The good news is the energy should not be too difficult to track. The bad news is, they had to capture the time bandit without causing any kind of disturbance.

Every time they went to the past, the Legion ran a very real risk of being unable to return.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on August 19** **th** **, 2016.**

* * *

 _Well, when there's a time traveling criminal, leave it for the Legion of Superheroes to turn up in…whatever year this is._

 _Well, Kara and Donna had a rather productive workout as well, if I have to say so myself._

 _Until Friday._


	92. Chapter 92

**Chapter Ninety-Two: The Time Bandit Part Two.**

* * *

Supergirl shot through the skies of Metropolis at the speed of light with the wind hitting the side of her face. Hair started to blow in her face. The Girl of Steel dropped down onto the ground and turned around to look for the source of the time disturbance. Metropolis sounded a bit quiet, almost as if everything slowed down.

The silence put Kara on the edge. She scanned the edge of the building to see if anything was inside. One particularly troublesome barrier hit her.

' _Lead, of course.'_

The Girl of Steel wondered if she could find a window to look into. The sounds of screams cut off this thought once and for all. Kara flew around the corner and stopped short of the figure standing in the alleyway. She noticed the man's high-tech armor and mask which was nothing like she had ever seen. Not just on Earth, but on any single planet in the universe. The man slumped against the wall.

"Please, leave me alone!" one of them yelled.

"You've asked too many questions," the armored time traveler said. "And I've scanned you. You are irrelevant for the timeline which my master intends to build. Therefore, you must perish….."

Supergirl knocked the armored man on the side of the head and caused him to fly into the air. She turned towards the shell-shocked man who started to quiver. He didn't seem to be calm enough to do the smart thing which was to run out of the way.

"Go!" Supergirl yelled.

The man finally remembered his legs made forward movement and scrambled towards the nearest exit. Supergirl turned her attention away from the civilian who scrambled out of the alleyway to the man who attacked her. A purple electrified whip retracted from the man's suit and sprung forward in an attempt to get Supergirl. The Girl of Steel avoided the whip being cracked at her and stepped back a couple of inches. Another crack of the whip came forward. Kara avoided the whip once more before it attacked her.

The whip snapped back and went back towards Kara. She pivoted in mid-air to avoid the whip. Another whip slammed against the wall. The armored figure looked towards her with a very crisp sneer on his face.

"So, Supergirl in her prime," the time traveler said. "I have to say, I'm not impressed!"

' _Yeah, not looking to impress you,'_ Kara thought.

The Girl of Steel's eyes followed those long purple energy whips coming out. They cracked against the air. Supergirl dodged the whips and jumped into the air. A huge punch descended from the heavens . The impact of the punch ricocheted against her and the whips wrapped around the limbs of the Kryptonian survivor. The time traveler flung the Girl of Steel back.

Kara needed to recalculate her plan of attack. The figure jumped up and made an honest attempt to stamp Kara's head into the ground. The Girl of Steel slid out of the way to avoid the double stomp to the face. Rolling over, Supergirl took a deep breath. One of the whips lashed towards the Kryptonian survivor.

Supergirl responded by lashing out with an attack of her own. The heat vision blasts caught the whips and forced the man to retract the attack from his suit. The energy rocked him. The Girl of Steel stared him down and figured out what she needed to do to return his attacks to him.

' _Every two minutes, his suit needs to recharge,'_ Kara thought. _'Good, music to my ears.'_

"I'm going to crush you, and I'm going to enjoy doing it!"

The powerful individual tried to attack the Girl of Steel. Supergirl dodged underneath these attacks and rushed behind the individual. A series of rapid-fire punches caught him. Most of the attacks fired back at Kara, some of the attacks struck through the shield. The Girl of Steel staggered back a moment and tried to recover from those brutal attacks.

"You aren't what you will become," the time traveler said. "Now or never again."

Two metallic objects shot out of the man's hands and flung towards Supergirl. Supergirl dodged the explosive charges before they connected. The Girl of Steel tried to keep a step or three ahead of her opponent. Easier said than done at this point in time, with the Girl of Steel's heart beating harder with each attempt to duck it.

One of the metallic devices arched towards the Metropolis subway entrance. Supergirl launched in front of the bomb before it connected with the edge of the subway tunnel. The Girl of Steel avoided the attack with the bomb connecting to her.

Nerve racking pain hit Kara harder and faster than anything she ever suffered ever. This pain was worse than Kryptonite and had become even worse when this man nailed her with a full bombardment with his suit. The Girl of Steel dropped down onto her knees and struggled to breathe.

"Idealism, something which is prevalent in your time, which has long since been squashed in my time," the time traveler said. "And for good reason…..it always gets the hero of the day injured, when they have no need to jump into the fire whatsoever. I will enjoy tormenting you before I destroy you."

"Well, the sound of your voice is already tormenting me."

Supergirl tried to pull up to a standing position. The pain would not finish, along with the not so subtle ringing in her ears. The Girl of Steel hitched in a deep breath and it hurt to even think, much less breath, with lungs feeling like it was on fire.

The time traveler decided to put the Girl of Steel out of her misery. A flash of light blocked him. The time traveler's eyes turned around and snarl spread over his lips.

"The Legion," he growled.

The three heroines in front of him were not within his plans. He needed to wait for the right moment to summon his monster.

"Give it up, Karvos!"

"Never!" the time bandit known as Karvos said. "Time will bend to the will of the great one. He will be the master of all time and the master of your time…."

An energy shield shot towards the man known as Karvos. He avoided the attack so it couldn't knock him back.

"Yeah, monolog, that never gets old!"

One of them tried to contain Karvos. He flicked a switch in his suit and disappeared a moment later.

Supergirl pulled herself to see a trio of girls going after her. The classic combination of dark hair, blonde hair, and red hair, and the Girl of Steel tried to brush off the attacks. One of them, the blond, extended a hand and helped Kara to her feet.

"Are you alright, Supergirl?" the blonde asked.

It was a loaded question. Kara shook her head, clearing the cobwebs.

"Fine, it's just…..I've never seen anything like that before, or felt anything like it," the Girl of Steel said. It took her a couple of moments to recollect her thoughts. "That weapon was not like anything I've seen before."

The three mysterious travelers looked towards her.

"Well, it's a future weapon."

"So much for keeping the timeline intact," the leader of the group said with a soft sigh and a shake of her head.

* * *

Kara returned to the penthouse with the three women following her. Much to Kara's frustration, they were not forthcoming with too many details. And while she understood the reason why, it was agitating her, to be honest.

"Kara, I know….I know you're confused, and upset with what happened," the leader of the group said. "And we…..well this went a lot better than the first time we met you."

"So, you've met me, but I haven't met you," Kara said. "Oh, time travel, of course, that would make sense!"

' _Or as about as much sense as time travel makes.'_

The leader of the group responded and performed a scan to check Kara's vital signs. Her healing abilities kicked in and the residual damage was minor at best. The woman's hands started to run over Kara's body to check her.

"You're as fit as you can be," she said. "The more things change, the more they stay the same. You throw yourself in the middle of battle….."

"She wouldn't be Supergirl if she wasn't, would she?"

Kara turned around, not too surprised to see Alia sitting in the middle of the penthouse, with a smile on her face. She wore a battle suit which proved she was ready for some kind of battle. Kara would not have expected anything less from her.

The other three time travelers turned towards the woman. They all had been on edge. Someone who knew who they are just increased the edge.

"And I'm judging by the looks on your faces, you don't remember me, Saturn Girl….Phantom Girl, and Lightning Lass," Alia said. "Simple, but practical codenames if I have to say so myself. And I take it, you lost the time bandit."

"Time bandit?" the blonde, Saturn Girl, asked when looking towards the mysterious green-eyed girl on the couch. "Who are you, what do you know?"

Kara decided to appease the situation about as best as she could.

"She's…she's an ally," Kara said.

Alia smiled. It was nice to be upgraded somewhat. Kara did not want to acknowledge they were sisters, which was fine for Alia to be honest. This was not the first time either Alia received the stares of the members of the Legion of Super Heroes. This was going a lot better than the first time she encountered them, in a timeline which now had a low probability of even existing.

"What do you think?" Saturn Girl asked her two fellow Legionnaires.

"Well, if Supergirl trusts her, then we should trust her," Phantom Girl said.

"Yes, and I can tell the trust didn't come too easily," Saturn Girl said.

Kara and Alia exchanged a smile with each other. Guilty as charged, given their past problems, and to be fair, both of them had a multitude of issues to work through. They got through it, thankfully, over time.

"You don't remember me at all?" Alia asked.

"Yes, and I have a feeling we may have had a first meeting, which you shouldn't tell us about because you would disrupt the timeline," Saturn Girl said.

Alia thought they were getting towards a potentially frustrating situation. She tried her best to appease everything.

"Yes, and no….although the timeline is disrupted," Alia said. "I had to go back to stop a time fugitive and in doing so, it stranded myself and Kara's future self in this timeline, along with releasing Kara from her ship about a thousand years early."

The three Legion girls locked eyes with each other. Alia sensed Imra talked with Ayla and Tinya, without saying a single word. The telepathic powers worked their magic. It did seem whoever this Alia was, she held a bit of validity. There were a few concerns though to deal with.

"We're concerned this is a direct cause of your previous meddling in the timeline," Imra said.

"I don't think it is," Alia said. "I can't be one hundred percent certain though there are a lot of consequences with time travel…"

"The fact you haven't been wiped out here, and we're having this conversation proves there's still some hope everything remains intact," Imra said.

"You mean it was set in stone I would go back in time and get caught here," Alia said. "And you still might not have met me, so we shouldn't be having this conversation."

"We're going to just have to let events play out as they did," Imra said. "Although Supergirl being released early shows something changed….not that I wish anyone to be trapped in their own ship for as long as you were."

Kara smiled and was glad they weren't going to try anything to reverse it. Then again, reversing time would lead to some more unintended consequences which could make a person's head spin just as much. The Girl of Steel responded with a crisp and clear blink.

"We're not going to have a discussion about temporal paradoxes, are we?" Kara asked.

"No, because there's never enough time," Alia said. The Legion Girls and Kara looked towards her. "Sorry, a little time travel humor."

The Legion all sighed because of this reference. They all appreciated Alia's attempt to lighten the mood.

"There isn't any time where that joke is remotely funny," Imra said. "But, you have a point, Supergirl. We need to focus on Karvos."

"Ah, the time bandit…who is carrying an element some criminals in my time are looking after," Kara said. "I'm not sure if Darkseid has hit your time period."

The looks on their faces showed Kara they were more than familiar with Darkseid.

"Yes," Imra said without saying a word. "We're familiar enough with Darkseid."

* * *

Karvos the time bandit dropped down onto the ground and returned to the temporary base of operations. How people of this century lived in such filthy accommodations, he would never know? This particular criminal looked around the base with a sneer.

"It matters little, for soon, this time, will be taken over by my master."

Karvos repaired the suit which had been slightly damaged. The energy needed for this suit was not in abundant supply in this century. Another problem which Karvos was required to navigate around, and he would adapt to, in time. The criminal checked a couple more settings on his suit and frowned.

Supergirl showing up should have been expected. It was only a small mercy the entire Justice League did not get in his way. Karvos knew of their exploits to the numerous museums which had been dedicated to these foolish crusaders for truth, justice, and the American way.

"I will insist my master let me crush Supergirl."

Karvos had been brought out of his thoughts by someone arriving. The time bandit sensed he was no longer alone now.

"Well, we have this much in common, my dear. Unfortunately, you know little about what the true order of the world works."

A bullish gargoyle of a woman stepped into the room in front of Karvos. Several demonic looking creatures and several more troops dressed in armor approached him. The Time Bandit's eyes flickered over the woman who approached him and an acidic smile spread over his face.

"I'm sorry if we haven't been properly acquainted," Karvos said.

"My name is Granny Goodness, I'm the most devoted servant of Great Darkseid," the woman said.

The time traveler's face contorted into a very obvious sneer.

"Yes, Darkseid, him I've heard of," Karvos said. "You, on the other hand, I haven't had the pleasure of hearing of. It seems like history has forgotten about the likes of you. I can't even imagine why."

The look on Granny Goodness's face turned rather sickening and twisted. The woman raised a large golden staff and pointed it towards Karvos. The man chuckled when looking at Granny, almost daring her to try something, anything, to take him down.

"You will hand it over now," Granny said.

"Hand it over?" Karvos asked, looking rather bemused. It took him a few seconds before he realized what Granny talked about. "Oh, you want the element, don't you? The one which I had brought all of this way, through time and space. That's what you want, don't you?"

"Yes!" Granny howled like a deranged monkey. "Hand it over now, or you will suffer the most horrific consequences imaginable."

Karvos took a second to look back at Granny. The box rested in the palm of the hand of the time bandit. He flashed one of those amused looks in Granny Goodness's general direction, but did not say anything, or do anything.

"Time makes a fool out of many of us," Karvos said with wicked intent flashing through his eyes. "It will even make a fool out of your master, the so-called great Darkseid."

Granny frothed at the mouth the second she locked eyes with this weasel of a man. Several seconds passed when Karvos stared down at Granny for a long time.

"Without your suit and your toys, you're nothing, but a pathetic, weak, man," Granny said.

"And without your army and your master's protection, you're nothing, but a pathetic hag," Karvos said. "Funny how that works…..time is something even your master cannot control, no matter how much he wishes to do so. In the end, even Darkseid doesn't understand the potential for the power my master wields."

"What are you talking about?" Granny demanded.

The man in question smiled and waited out. Time was on his side right about now.

"Darkseid is remembered for someone who fell when he tried to fight the one person he could not stop," Karvos said. "It was a cautionary tale about how even the strongest and most sadistic of gods could fall given the right motivation."

The time bandit twisted a dial on the box and a bright light emitted into the room. Granny stepped back, mouth held open in horror when she tried to see what was going on around her. The woman's eyes followed the progress of the light emitting into the room.

"What are you doing?" Granny asked.

"I'm summoning my master, and your new master," Karvos said. "If you're willing enough to beg for his forgiveness. Then again, those who serve a mongrel like Darkseid are not too bright."

Granny lunged forward and an energy shield enveloped the man. Energy coursed through the room and had been brought behind the man.

"Time to rip the gates open and bring forward the true master and ruler of time," Karvos said. "My lord, it's time, for your arrival to happen."

Granny Goodness rarely had been caught off guard by an arrival of any type. She had shivers blow down to the base of her spine at the arrival of this particular individual.

"What is happening?" Granny demanded. "I demand you show yourself at once."

"You make demands of me?" the voice asked. "This is very amusing…..futile, but amusing never the less."

A large purple skinned figure appeared in front of Granny Goodness and her minions. The man radiated power beyond anything Granny had experienced throughout her life. The gargoyle of a woman had been struck dumb by this arrival.

"So, a servant of Darkseid," he said. "Greetings, my name is Kang. If you're fortunate enough, I will over you quick oblivion."

Kang picked up the device with the energy source inside and slipped it inside. The device flashed to life.

"Soon, my armada would be summoned, and even great Darkseid will be crushed underneath their everlasting might," Kang said.

Granny could sense the writing on the wall and she pressed a button. A boom tube erupted behind them and the entire group rushed through the portal. They all fled without another word. Kang watched them leave, a casual smirk passing over his face.

"It matters little," Kang said. "They can run, but they won't be able to hide. They will be crushed underneath our might."

Kang waved Granny leave. Once a foul cockroach, always a foul cockroach.

* * *

"So is this all of the information you have on Karvos?" Kara asked.

Kara hoped for a more detailed bio, including a way to defeat him, or contain him. The three Legion girls turned towards Kara and shook their heads in response. They had been joined by Alia, Karen, and Gwen, and also Indigo, who ran some scans for some temporal energy in the background.

"I'm afraid it isn't as comprehensive as we would have liked it to be," Saturn Girl said. "He's from further back in the future….he tried to get a prototype for a device which would have brought his master to the earliest time where he could conquer."

"Well, we're getting somewhere at least," Alia said.

"Who is his master?" Kara asked.

"They call him Kang the Conqueror," Saturn Girl said.

The words "Kang the Conqueror" caused Gwen to stand up, nerves racking through the body of the young blonde. Alia reached a hand over in an attempt to calm Gwen down. Gwen only relaxed a slight amount before breathing in deep and breathing out even deeper.

"He's the one who drove me from my home," Gwen said. "He's not from this future, but he is from a future, my future, in my world."

Alia realized what this meant before anyone else did, but to her credit, Imra jumped in pretty quickly.

"So, he cannot only time travel, but he can cross dimensions," Imra said.

"My world was destroyed, and his army along with him," Gwen said.

Alia noticed the distress coming from Gwen's voice. She reached over to push a hand over Gwen's to attempt to calm the other girl's nerves. Alia decided to jump in.

"I'm afraid he has and I encountered him when he crossed worlds," Alia said. "It was after I met you for the first time and….we encountered a Crisis on a potentially infinite number of Earths."

The three Legion Girls locked eyes onto each other. Such events had been rather commonplace if they were perfectly honest. They turned their attention back towards Alia and gave her the opening to continue or at least attempt to continue.

"Gwen was in the process of fighting him, doing a good job, but he knew what was going to happen," Alia said. "The two of them ended up in a void between two worlds crashing together."

"How close was this world to being destroyed?" Kara asked.

Alia paused for a second before thinking about it. It was a very loaded question to ask, although a very good one.

"This world has had some close shaves, I'll be the first one to admit it," Alia said. "And yes, this was a pretty near miss."

"How did you defeat Kang?" Imra asked.

"We didn't figure out how to defeat him any further in the future either," Alia said. "Although given you're here, and he's here….and I don't remember him being here closer to the last time I met him, something has been messed up with the time travel."

Gwen shook her head to avoid a headache popping up in her mind.

"It's best not to think about it," Gwen said.

Time travel really hurt her brain. A look directed towards her from Kara showed Kara sympathized with this fact, placing an arm on Gwen's shoulder. Gwen smiled and relaxed just a tiny bit. Not as much as she would have liked to, but the relaxation was there.

"Don't worry, I feel your pain," Kara said. "Time travel, I'd imagine the people who are used to dealing with time travel aren't….completely used to it."

Kara looked towards the three Legion girls for feedback. They shook their heads in response and Kara responded with a smile. She shifted back a half of a step.

"I banished Kang and his army to the end of time," Alia said. "I guess the end of time wasn't far enough for him."

"Yeah, it does seem so," Kara said. "Well, you beat him before, you can beat him again, can't you?"

Alia sure hoped so. The eyes of the Legion girls flew onto her face, and there were more questions to be asked.

"You said you took a trip to the past to chase a fugitive here?" Imra asked.

"Yes, as we've discussed," Alia said. "And I think we come to an agreement the less you know about what may happen in a probable future, the better of we are can be."

"For the sake of our sanity, at the very least,' Karen said, smiling.

She had been through this with every step of the way with Alia, and Karen could not wrap fully around the insanity.

"A temporal flux has occurred again," Indigo said, piping up after completing her scan over the planet. "Actually, I'm sorry, several temporal fluxes have popped up over the planet, dozens of them in fact."

"Dozens?" Imra asked.

The scanners which Alia used to detect the element which came into the atmosphere hit at its highest level. The Legion rings of Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl, and Lightning Lass all grew tense as well. They sensed a huge level of time travel.

"I'm guessing the buzzing isn't a good thing?" Gwen asked.

"No, it means someone really dangerous is coming through the time window," Imra said. She blinked a second later and looked towards the ring one more time. "And if they….well if they come through the time window….they could cause our past, present, and future to be in peril."

"We better go and meet them," Kara said. "Supergirl to Justice League…..this is an emergency….get every available League member to Metropolis, at the West Station Base. As soon as possible, we're running out of time."

It was past time for them to move, no pun intended.

* * *

Chloe experienced one of those feelings when having to do monitor duty at the Watchtower. This feeling had hit her several times over the past couple of years. The most prominent times had been when Doomsday had been unleashed by the League of Assassins and it happened during the Zod invasion.

And now it happened on more time. Chloe tensed her fist around the edge of the table. A communication came in and Chloe punched it up.

"Supergirl to Justice League…this is an emergency….get all available League members to Metropolis, at the West Station Base. As soon as possible, we're running out of time."

The sound turned into static and Chloe's lunch rose to the vicinity of her throat and threatened to cause some problems with her.

"Watchtower to Justice League...Superwoman, Flash, Wonder Woman…anyone report…"

"Actually, we have a problem," Superwoman said. "I'm here in the Fortress….and there's a window opening in the sky...I can't fly next to it….without my entire life flashing through it."

Alia understood the problem right away and knew they were in for a pretty bad time.

"Temporal inertia…where you can see your past, present, and future at the same time," Alia said. "Prepare yourself for anything and prepare to attack anything which comes through those windows."

The power crackled through the Watchtower and Chloe almost threw herself down onto the ground. The last thing she heard before the Watchtower went completely dead with power had been an alarm.

The backup power kicked on for about two minutes before it fizzled out. Chloe realized she was stuck up here alone with…whatever arrived up there.

The gateway opened and several blue-skinned creatures dropped down. They dressed in armor with weapons the likes of what Chloe had never seen before. The blaster she kept underneath the desk in case of emergencies looked pretty low tech.

"There's no one here."

"Good, it makes this all the much better….pan out and search the area."

Chloe rewired the headset to try and sent an SOS pulse. She only had one shot, so it would be best to make it count underneath these circumstances.

' _Here goes nothing.'_

Chloe thought these invaders invading an empty Watchtower was the worst possible thing. Needless to say, the circumstances did not improve at all. They if anything had gotten worse.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on August 23th, 2016.**

* * *

 _Just when things are getting really bad, here comes Kang from the universe next door to mess up people's lives. When it rains, it pours._

 _Until Next Tuesday._


	93. Chapter 93

**Chapter Ninety-Three: The Time Bandit Part Three.**

* * *

Kang the Conqueror stood on the main ship and prepared to survey a simpler, a more primitive time period. He recalled it from the few historical records he managed to collect this particular time period had been described as the golden age of heroes. Or was it the silver age? History tended not to recall what this era was called and historians would argue about the minor details.

All Kang knew was heroes were prevalent in this time period. It was much like his native dimension, only Earth's mightiest heroes called themselves something different. In Kang's time and dimension, they were called Avengers. In this time and dimension, those heroes called themselves the Justice League. Regardless of the name, Kang knew they amounted to a very clear and present threat.

' _Annoyances, which I will crush and destroy in due time,'_ Kang thought.

The world of the 21st century flashed above him. Some of the geography amounted to some similarities, where other points lead to something different. Kang found himself a student of history, a student of what he studied, and what he learned throughout this brand new age of heroes.

The doors leading to the outside of the war room slid open. Kang turned his gaze about a fraction of an inch to the front and watched several imposing figures walked into the room. They made up his war council and some of the most brilliant minds he collected during this time period. Their feedback was much appreciated. Kang watched them approach him and then drop to their knees before him.

"You may rise."

The members of Kang's elite council rose to their feet and looked towards their might conqueror with smiles on their face. They understood what was on the line and most importantly, they understood what was at stake. Kang arched his eyebrow and attention a fraction of an inch towards this particular council.

"I understand you have a report for me," Kang said. "Is it going to plan?"

"Yes, great one, it is going exactly to our plans," the head of the council said, looking rather pleased with himself. "Another moment and we would have control of this Watchtower and with it…the secret weapon onboard."

Kang smiled, this was good news. He looked at the men who would do anything for him.

"The Watchtower may be primitive, but it can be rebuilt into something which allows me to bring even the most well-trained army to their knees," Kang said. "I can leave nothing to chance, especially since the one who banished me in the first place exists in this time."

Kang refused to allow anything to be lead to chance. Yet, in the ultimate amusement, it had been a random chance which brought him here and allowed him to escape the time vortex. He had not quite been banished all the way to the end of time. He had banished close enough for this to be an alarming predicament for him.

"Do you think she will act against you?" one of his advisors asked.

"What do you think?" Kang asked.

There were times where his advisors were wise and other times where they relayed the most stupid questions possible. Kang figured it would be best to turn it around on them.

"Yes, I believe she will act with aggression," one of them said.

Kang looked at both of them, with some bright smiles on their faces.

"Prepare for the second phase of our plan," Kang said.

They all bowed before the Conqueror and turned around without another word. Kang turned around and noticed a figure waiting in the shadows. She wore a dressing gown and a scowl. The attractive brunette approached him. Kang leaned towards the woman.

"Ravonna, you should be resting," Kang said.

"Should I?" she asked. "There's something about this entire invasion which doesn't make me very restful, my love."

Kang took a moment to look towards his wife. There were times where she challenged him and challenged what he did. Something Kang would not allow for anyone else because he tended not to like being challenged. Still, the Conqueror did wonder if he did right sometimes.

Most of what he did, was done for her. This first timeline had been conquered due to the fact his wife was in danger. Kang continued to do what he did to create a stable home and a stable life. Many fell at his feet.

"The time stream would have been crushed a long time ago if I didn't act as I did," Kang said.

"Yes, I'm aware,' Ravonna said with a frown. She knew all about the science of time travel, more so than her husband at times. "I just can't….there are so many innocent lives."

"All of who die need to preserve the timeline," Kang said. "I do not kill out of any glee. Or any sport. Or just because someone meddled in my plans."

Kang held hatred for only one person, the one who banished him to the awful time vortex. The person who bred, even more, hatred and contempt than even Kang could even think about.

"I do this all for you."

Ravonna responded with a crisp frown. She hated when Kang pulled this card. It made her feel like an accessory to some kind of crime. The dark haired woman leaned forward and was about to say something. Kang responded by cupping a hand underneath Ravonna's chin.

"I know it upsets you, but trust me, some will only perish so many others can live."

* * *

Chloe's heartbeat accelerated. If they found where the cannon was located, the League on Earth were deader than dead. The blonde woman's fingers brushed through her hair.

' _Okay, Chloe think, I know at this time, that really isn't a strong point, but you have to think. You have to focus….stay calm, stay cool, it's going to be alright, trust me.'_

One of them turned around and walked closer towards Chloe. Had this soldier turned around or looked down, or something, Chloe's goose would have been cooked. The woman's heart started to hammer at an even more steady rate. Chloe held her head down.

' _Moment of truth, here it comes,'_ Chloe thought. _'I really hope it works otherwise my goose is cooked and not in the best way.'_

Chloe thought she already voiced this thought. When someone's mind went a million miles a minute.

The sound of a struggle echoed around her. Dare Chloe look up? Something smacked into the wall and hit the wall. Two other somethings smacked against the wall just as well.

A familiar hand reached in and grabbed Chloe's hand. Claire looked down in full uniform. The breath had been let out of Chloe's body when she looked towards Claire.

"Thank God it's you," Chloe said. Claire looked towards her with a smile. "I thought for a moment it would be…well, I would be done."

Claire gave Chloe a reassuring squeeze of the hand which brought her thoughts more cohesively together.

"Did you really think I wouldn't come back up here for you, after all, we've been through?" Claire asked. "Did they find it?"

"You put a stop to it," Chloe said. "They were closer than I'd care to admit, though."

Claire responded with a brisk nod and waited for Chloe to stagger up to a standing position. Chloe held the blaster in her hand.

"Did you get all four of them?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, got them all," Claire said. "They didn't put up much of a fight."

Chloe smiled and looked down at the smoking bodysuit on one of the men. She noticed a glowing silver cell sticking out of the soldier's costume. The hacker picked it up and looked over it. She sensed something coming from the other side of the silver orb.

"What is it?" Claire asked.

"Well, offhand, I'd say it's a computer of some sort," Chloe said. She looked at the orb and continued to analyze it. "It's not like anything I've ever seen."

"Well, I don't think you're going to be seeing anything like this for about a few hundred years, give or take," Claire said with a cheeky smile.

Chloe rolled her eyes and gave Claire one of those rather prominent "you know what I mean" kind of looks. The Woman of Steel shifted back a couple of inches and looked out into space.

"You do realize the moment this crew doesn't report back, there's going to be an entire armada on this location?" Claire asked.

Chloe managed to access the cargo doors.

"Yes, Claire, the thought did cross my mind," Chloe said. "Which is why I'm going to get it online…the thing they're after."

"That's a big of a risk, don't you think?" Claire asked.

Chloe only just blocked the smile. Claire really didn't understand.

"I've been busy lately, as you might have guessed," Chloe said. "I've been upgrading the Watchtower, and with Alura's help, I've linked it up to the Fortress."

Claire blinked and looked towards her friend. Chloe could have almost broken out in a cackling round of laughter.

"Did you really think I spent my entire time up here playing Angry Birds?" Chloe asked.

"No, I didn't…you're really outdoing yourself, Chloe," Claire said. "You're living beyond all past expectations, all of your own expectations, you know."

"Keep it up, and you won't be able to fit my head through the door," Chloe said. "Anyway, we should be able to at least cut the Armada in half, allowing the rest of the League to do the thing they do."

Claire smiled at the utter vagueness of Chloe's statement. Chloe positioned herself down in front of the computer and prepared to get to work. She brought up the entire overlay of the Earth's map.

"Well, the backup power finally kicked it," Chloe said.

"Don't you have to input a code to make sure it kicks on?" Claire asked.

"I'm surprised you remembered I told you that," Chloe said. "So, anyway, I got cut off in the middle of Kara sending her SOS. What's happening up there anyway?"

"All League members are on deck," Claire said. "I came up here because I knew you would get into trouble….at least as past experiences tell me."

Chloe responded with a cheeky little smirk directed at Claire.

"Kara and Alia are heading off to the mother ship, where they hope to shut down Kang," Claire said. "And the Legion of Super Heroes are here...although it's before I met them….."

"Claire, there are enough headaches going on here without dealing with time travel," Chloe said. "So just say the word, and we'll try and blast Kang back to wherever he came from?"

Claire frowned and made a split second decision in her mind.

"Let's see how Kara's going to handle this before we make any split-second decisions," Claire said.

Chloe responded with a brisk smile. Fair enough, more than fair enough. They would be ready. The League and the Legion both had no choice. They had to be ready.

* * *

Kara looked skyward and sure enough, one of Kang's largest ships flashed over Metropolis. Where else would it be? Power Girl stood side by side with Supergirl and they both wore matching expressions. Wondergirl and Batgirl joined them on the ground as well.

"I need you two to help….pacify the public," Supergirl said.

"Oh, one would think the people in Metropolis would be more than used to weird things appearing in the sky before them," Batgirl said.

The three girls responded with a sigh at this.

"One would think," Wondergirl said. Kara's eyes flashed towards them and the two superheroines stepped back.

Kara wondered if this team of real heavy hitters would be enough to put a dent in Kang's forces. She would find out a moment or so later, she figured.

' _And Alia seems to have disappeared on me again,'_ Kara thought. _'Does that a lot.'_

"Kara, are you there?" Alura asked.

"Yes, Mother, I'm there," Kara said. "Did you unmask all of the cloaked ships?"

"I'm unloading a full overview of where they're all located," Alura said. "Although I hope for your sake you managed to notice the really big ship hovering above your head."

Kara cracked into a smile. It was hard not to notice this particular ship.

"And we have a couple of weapons I can deploy, with your go ahead," Alura said.

"Do you think they will even work, or just enrage Kang even more?" Kara asked. "I think if we access the ship's jump drive, we can send them back to where they came from."

Kara closed her eyes. Getting into the ship and everything in between the Jump Drive caused Kara no small amount of discord and agitation. They would have to play this one by ear and see where it lead them.

"And there's also the point where deploying some of the weapons could open a Pandora's Box," Alia said. "And it's one we won't close."

"Never thought you would be the one to play it safe," Kara said.

"Everything I do is calculated," Alia said. "And you should know this by now…..although this might be a time where we're going to have to take a risk."

The Legion dropped down behind them. They had not technically beaten Kang, only his minions, and even then, it was a pretty even battle. Now they had to fight the big guy.

"You know this would be a lot easier if Kang just dropped down and gave one of those villain monologs to us," Barbara said.

A flash of light emitted from around them and Kara almost rolled her eyes in frustration. The one and only Conqueror dropped down onto the ground. All of they looked at each other with those nerve-racking thoughts entering their mind.

"You just had to say it, didn't you?" Donna asked.

The Flash, Wonder Woman, Black Canary, and Hawkgirl all arrived on the scene. They all looked up at Kang, who stared them down.

"Greetings, Justice League!" Kang boomed out in a triumphant voice. "I would say I respected all of what you've done, but let this be for certain. I will not allow you to stand in my way."

Barbara really wished she did not wish for one of those super villain monologs. Kang was going to give one of those classic super villain monologs and do it in the worst way possible.

"And we're not going to stand you back and allow you to destroy another timeline!"

Spider-Woman flashed behind Kang and nailed him a jolt of electrified webbing from her suit. Alia made a few modifications to this particular suit.

Speaking of which, Alia jumped in front of Kang and nailed him. Kang stepped back and raised his hand into the air.

"I've spent countless hours replaying our previous battles in my mind, Daughter of Zod!" Kang yelled. "And you think I don't have any idea how to defeat you this time. If you do, then you're mistaken."

Kang shifted off to one side and the front of his body armor retracted. Three miniature rockets shot out of his suit and towards civilians.

The Flash rushed in and darted all of the civilians out of the way. Iris loved what she did, but it made it hard when the civilians involved did not have many, if any, self-preservation instincts to speak of. The fastest woman alive turned around and skidded onto the ground. She breathed heavily and gave a crisp sigh.

"Did you really think I would have stood back and allowed you to interfere in my timeline?" Kang asked. "By the time you realize the futility of what you have done, I would have conquered this time and built a fu…."

Gwen flipped a silver disc into the middle of Kang. His entire body flickered a second later.

"Have we been talking to a hologram this entire time?" Gwen asked.

"No, just the last minute," Alia said. "He used the diversion caused by the rockets to get out of here."

Kara looked at the ship. She noticed a security flaw which they could exploit given enough time. The only question was, would they have enough time to exploit this rather obvious and prime security flaw.

* * *

"Okay, I've got a question? Why is it the only time we get together, the entire world is about ready to go to hell in a handbasket?"

Harley stepped out into the middle and turned towards the motley crew she had behind her. Livewire followed, along with Captain Boomerang, Deathstroke, and Plastique. The Suicide Squad stepped in, ready for action.

"I don't know, guess it's lucky," Boomerang said.

"Come on, we can do this," Livewire said, voice sparkling with passion. "We did it, we beat a bunch of aliens. Don't you think we have it in us to beat a bunch of aliens from the future?"

There were so many ways Harley thought she could answer this particular line of question. The woman responded with a crisp and agitated sigh.

"Clock King, have you figured out the timing on these things, yet?" Harley asked.

"Yes," The Clock King said. "You have seven seconds before they see you and the cannons recharge. If you can't disable them within seven seconds well…there won't even be enough of you left to fill a dustbin."

Harley smiled. Leave it to the old Clock King to put these matters into perspective.

"Just point me in the direction of something to zap," Livewire said. "I'm so sick of these people thinking they can screw with my planet when the Suicide Squad is on the job."

"Well, there's patriotism for you, well done," Deadshot said. "Just tell me where to shoot and I'll bring it down."

"You'll find a cluster about three hundred yards North of you," Clock King said. "Providing, of course, if they don't find you first. Which there is a high probability of them doing so, if you do not reach the destination within the next three minutes and eighteen seconds. And if the unforeseen had not been….."

The connection on the other end of the headset went off. Harley did what she did when the television went out. She started to slap the ear bud in the headset in a repeated fashion.

"That's not going to work," Plastique said.

"Fine, poop on my party!" Harley yelled. "Oh boy….."

A large scarab-shaped ship flickered into the air. Harley looked up towards it and held up the Bazooka she carried for the purpose of this battle.

' _I'm going to need a bigger bazooka.'_

The ship hovered over the top of their heads. Livewire smiled and pointed at the ship. It didn't matter what time these ships were built, or where the ships were built. They all had energy and she could all bring them down.

"Fire in the hole!" Livewire yelled.

Livewire blasted the ship with a blast of electricity before the ship could be brought down. The ship started to rock back and forth a few seconds later. The woman's eyes shifted over and she cackled at the look of the ship which continued to rock in mid-air.

"Yes, bullseye!"

Deathshot loaded one of his guns and picked the shot wisely. He fired past the one tiny hole which allowed him to puncture the engine. One of the guns pointed towards him.

Boomerang pulled out one of his larger and more explosive boomerangs. He used his wrist to flip it back and send the object soaring through the underside of the ship. The metal object stuck on the underside of the ship and a miniature explosion came off.

"Right on the money!"

One of the ships cannons dropped down onto the ground. Harley looked at the cannon and more importantly the power cell attached. A scary grin crossed the face of the former partner of the Joker.

"Oh, ladies, gentleman, and Livewire, I think I've got my bigger Bazooka…..shouldn't be too hard to….whoopsie!"

Everyone scattered the second Harley figured out how to arm the Bazooka. The Bazooka blasted it's energy cell into space and caught one of the ships on the underside.

"At least you hit the ship!" Deadshot yelled. He waited for his heart to slow down before fighting.

Livewire rolled over and started to cough. Her hands pointed to the underside of the ship and began to fly with a series of rapid-fire lightning bolts. The lightning chained together and decimated the bottom of the ship and resulted in it smoldering.

"You know we actually might have a chance!" Livewire yelled. Something started to click on the ship. "Or not."

Two words described what Harley felt. The bright lights flashed above her and not the good kind of bright lights either. Rather the bright lights which lead to misery.

' _Ah, crud.'_

* * *

Kang sat out in the throne room to observe the invasion which did not go as he had planned. There had been a few hiccups. The ship hovering over Metropolis looked up at his not so willing subjects. The Conqueror looked up and turned to his council.

"Ensure Phase Two is complete, and we move onto Phase Three," Kang said. "I have something to take care of."

The members of the council extended their heads and bowed before him. Kang turned around and walked off.

"Do you think he has lost sight of what is important?" one of them asked.

"No, I think it still is in his sights, although he has been tunnel blind with his obsession with eliminating the Daughter of Zod from this particular time stream," one of the members of the council said. "Prepare for anything."

An alarm caused two members of the Council to move forward. The council of four had become two councils of two. They split apart.

Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl, and Lightning Lass slipped into the main control room of the ship. Supergirl followed a couple of steps behind them.

"Okay, we're in," Supergirl said. "Are you in position?"

A long pause followed when Kara waited for an answer. Only there was no answer. Kara and the three members of the Legion of Super Heroes locked eyes with each other. Saturn Girl responded with a poignant sigh.

"I guess we're on our own here," Imra said.

Kara sighed long and hard. So much of this plan could unravel and a lot of it began to unravel. The Girl of Steel's eyes traveled down the hallway and she slipped behind them.

"It must have been a glitch," one of the members of the council said.

"Prime does not cause glitches on his ship," one of the members of the council said. "Go this way."

The Legion and Supergirl realized there were a certain amount of people between them and the Jump Drive. Without getting to the Jump Drive, they could not send it back.

And without having any connection to Alia on the outside, they could not link up this ship to the other ships and send them back to the end of time. The Girl of Steel heard someone coming down the hallway.

"This way."

Supergirl spun around so much she did not hear the voice. She thought though it would be the best way. A quickly stolen look from the Legion pointed the fact they agreed. The four of them slipped down a hallway and just seconds later, Kang passed.

"Someone has breached the security of my ship," Kang said. "They're fools if they think they can escape. They're trapped in here with me."

A long pause followed with Kang waiting for anyone to jump out.

"Keep searching, and if you see her anywhere near the ship, subdue her and drop her at my feet," Kang said. "I'll send her to oblivion and see how she likes it."

Ravonna watched her husband from the other side of a glass window and frowned. She did not know how far his obsession with the Dragon had gone. It had blinded him.

' _He still convinces himself he's doing the right thing,'_ Ravonna thought. _'Reality has been lost from his mind.'_

Ravonna knew the Legion was after the Jump Drive and conflict hit about whether or not to help them. She did get them out of Kang's sight by broadcasting a warning.

"Prepare to fire up the Omega cannon."

* * *

 **To Be Continued on August 26** **th** **, 2016.**


	94. Chapter 94

**Chapter Ninety-Four: The Time Bandit Part Four.**

* * *

Imra Ardeen, better known as Saturn Girl of the Legion of Super Heroes, thought they had gone way in over their head this time. They thought they could take down Kang if they got to the Jump Drive. This ship had not been like anything they ever encountered throughout their lives. Which made a perfect amount of sense, given the future tech involved, and also they had been cut out from the outside.

The leader of the Legion closed her eyes and submerged herself in a deep amount of thought. She drew in a breath and drew out a breath when looking around the area of the ship. The three heroines who followed her all looked around.

"I'll double around to see if I can find anything," Supergirl said.

Saturn Girl responded with a nod and tensed up. She could hear some thoughts, and they were restless. The leader of the Legion turned around to get a full view of everything of the ship.

"Who told us to get out of harm's way?" Phantom Girl asked. "Do you think we have an ally on the ship?"

Saturn Girl closed her eyes, thinking about the prospect of having some ally on the ship. It could be an ally or it could have been a trap of some sort. She turned around and noticed several of Kang's royal guards make their way around the ship. One of them paused and looked towards them with a scowl.

"The Legion….."

Lightning Lass did not give them a moment to spit out the rest of the second. She drove the man down to the ground with a swift assault.

Phantom Girl turned intangible and shifted through the ground. She grabbed the member of Kang's guard around the head and brought him down. The member of the royal guard went to the ground and another tried to attack her. Saturn Girl used her mental powers to stagger the man to a knee.

The man recovered from the brief intrusion and started to fire at Saturn Girl. She arched back to dodge the bullets before they connected to the side of the ship wall. Saturn Girl grabbed him around the head and pushed him down to the ground.

' _There's going to be more,'_ Saturn Girl. _'Get ready.'_

The other female members of the Legion hated this little bit of news and they turned to face the second barrage of royal guards making their way around the corner. This entire group was more heavily armed, better trained by the looks of things.

Before the Legion could be forced to fight them, a blur came in from behind them. The guards turned around and Supergirl hovered to meet them. One of the guards tried to send a containment field at the Girl of Steel. Supergirl dodged the bubble before it could be wrapped around her.

The Royal Guard withdrew a blade made of pure energy and rushed towards his adversary with the intention to stab. Supergirl avoided the blade and nailed her enemy in the face. A series of rapid-fire kicks stunned the enemy and staggered him back.

"Call for….."

Saturn Girl decided to take advantage of this situation while their attention had been diverted by Supergirl. Two guards dropped to their knees. Supergirl disabled their communication attempts with some kicks to the face. The Girl of Steel rebounded off of the wall and struck her enemy with a vicious punch to the side of the head.

' _So did you find the drive?'_ Saturn Girl asked.

' _Unfortunately, I didn't,'_ Supergirl thought. _'Sorry about that…but…..'_

' _Hey, don't apologize, you couldn't have….well, you couldn't have seen this coming,'_ Saturn Girl thought. _'We're just going to have to find a way to adapt.'_

Supergirl wished they could have found an easier way to adapt. The Girl of Steel dodged the attack from one of her enemies as he tried to take her out. A snap punch dropped the man down onto the ground and took his entire wind out of him. The Girl of Steel responded with a triumphant smile when looking down at him.

"I know what you're doing, and you're attempt will fail."

Some more footsteps echoed down the hallway on both sides. The four heroines were good, but the number game would be too much for them at this particular time. The voice of Kang taunted them from beyond.

"The Legion of Super Heroes, we've had this dance when you were far more experienced. I admit, you've come a long way from being the Intergalactic Superwoman fan club."

Saturn Girl hated when people called them that. Granted, it was true, at least at first, but the Legion became so much more than they really were in those early years. Those early, extremely awkward, and quite frankly embarrassing years had been a bit behind them, and they were all thankful for that.

"You really think you can stop me. This is a culmination of many plans, and let me make one thing clear. Your ally on the outside, she will be destroyed, as will you…"

Supergirl heard something click on the other side. Another door slid open and the Girl of Steel took a step through the doorway.

"So, either this is a trap or this is a lucky break?" Supergirl asked.

"Well, either we go through the unknown door," Phantom Girl said and she breathed. "Or we go through….well we deal with an entire army of Kang's most devoted and insane followers."

"Unknown door looks good for me, how about you?" Saturn Girl asked.

* * *

Alia gnashed her teeth together with her attempts to break through the communication and reestablish any communication to the girls inside the ship having gone awry. She tried to perform every single trick in the book and many outside of the book. Alia learned a lot more than many people forgot.

The ships hovered into a holding pattern above her head and Alia waited for them to attack. Other than some bursts of attack just a little bit ago, the ships remained dormant above her head. This didn't put Alia in a good mood, far from it. It made her think something was going to happen, although she wasn't certain what.

' _Great, the waiting game, I won't even discuss how much I hate playing that game,'_ Alia thought.

Alia wondered if she looked at this from the wrong angle.

"We're getting on one of the scouter ships," Alia said to Karen.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Karen asked.

Alia responded with a light pinch of her nostrils and sighed once more.

"Very little of what we do is a good idea," Alia said. "Kara and the Legion…I don't think they've accessed the Jump Drive of the ship."

Given the fact those ships kept hovering above their heads without any thought to going in that seemed to be obvious.

"If we get on a scouter ship, we may be able to access the main ship remotely," Alia said. "Of course, there's a bigger chance we're going to activate some sort of Doomsday Protocol."

Karen raised her eyebrow. There were times where Alia was a bit too frank and a bit too casual for her own good. Karen thought this was one of those times.

"So, I guess we better cross our fingers and hope for the best now," Karen said.

Alia's lips curled into a smile. She didn't rely on hoping for the best, because hoping for the best only opened the door for the very worst. Those green eyes stared out with intent in her mind. She was half sure they would be able to do this. At least she assumed they would.

' _You know what they say about assumptions.'_

Alia watched as the ship flashed in front of her eyes. Now was the time to get on and see what she could do. The Daughter of Zod flashed onto the ship and managed to find a way to punch past the barriers.

One of Kang's soldiers piloted the scouter vessel. A blinking light flashed on the dashboard and showed there was one more person on the ship then there should have been. The soldier turned around and Alia grabbed him around the throat.

"This ship is now mine."

Alia lifted the soldier off of the ground and slammed him down on the ground. The soldier had been rattled by the attack. He reached for the blaster. Alia responded by kicking the soldier in the face.

"You won't stop him, Kang will….."

Alia responded by opening her hand and nailing her enemy across the face with an open-handed slap. The impact dropped the man down to the ground. The Daughter of Zod made her way to the computer and started to access it. She found a backdoor just as easily.

"Okay, Alura, can you hear me?" Alia asked.

"Yes, Alia, I can hear you," Alura said. "What do you need?"

Alia double checked to make sure her notes were on point before continuing.

"I'm uploading the specifications to these scouter ships," Alia said. "I need the Fortress to decode the override signal, so I can jam the ships and activate their emergency protocols to send them home."

It wasn't as elegant as finding the jump drive on the main ship, and it took a lot more work, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

' _Well, here we go, for better or for worse.'_

Alia tapped her fingers on the edge of the console and waited for everything to download to her. The dark haired woman took a deep breath with her green eyes shining through.

"Scouter Ship Nineteen-A, you've been compromised….answer instantly, or be prepared to be decimated."

Alia figured something like this would happen. They were pretty much on the ball these days.

"Oh, I don't think I'm about ready to get decimated," Alia said. "You're the ones who are about ready to get decimated."

Alia put up the shields on the ship. They would only hold for three minutes. Alia only required two minutes to get down what she needed to do.

"The upload will be completed," Alura said. "I would suggest you find a way out."

"Already on it," Alia said.

She put on a spare suit of armor on the ship, along with two laser blasters. With any luck, she would not have to use those, but after all of this time, Alia knew better. The Daughter of Zod dove into the ship, in front of the entire Kang army.

"We have you now!" one of the leaders yelled.

"Oh, I think it's up for a lot of debate who has who," Alia said.

A blinding bright light emitted in every direction and engulfed the ships. Alia waited for the ships to be caught within the light. Time ran on through with Alia smiling her wicked twisted smile.

The scouter ships disappeared. The main ship remained hovering over the planet, but the backup had been eliminated.

' _My work is never done.'_

* * *

The troops of the mighty conqueror flashed out of the picture. This left only the troops on Kang's ship and the man himself on Earth. Kang dropped down to the ground and looked around.

"I know you're here," Kang said. "I can sense you here…and you should know your attempt will be in vain. I will just recall all of my troops. This is only a small fraction of my armada. They will return in greater force and there's nothing you can do to stop me. This is the end."

"That's something we disagree on."

Kang turned around and noticed her flying at the speed of light towards him. He saw not a bird, not a plane, rather Superwoman flying towards the Conqueror. A large piece of rubble lifted above the head of the Woman of Steel when she tossed it down on top of the head of Kang!

The Might Conqueror staggered back a half of an inch and readjusted the energy fields on his suit. He turned his hand around and blasted towards the Woman of Steel. Superwoman dodged the attack and returned fire to bring the point of her elbow down across Kang's head.

Superwoman stepped back and flew towards Kang with another huge punch. The armor ricocheted the attack back at Superwoman and sent her flying back several feet. The Woman of Steel dropped down to the ground. Kang sent an energy blast towards her.

Flash appeared and pulled Superwoman out of the way. The two of them ended up on the other end of the street.

"Still faster than you."

The Fastest Woman Alive rushed towards Kang. She ran at the speed of light and unfortunately she had tripped at the speed of light.

"Foolish League members, you waste my time!" Kang yelled. "I have this timeline to put underneath my heel. Nothing can stop me now!"

The members of the League members heard this particular song and dance more times when they cared to count.

"We've heard this song and dance way too many times before!" Hawkgirl yelled.

The energy field wrapped around Kang and Hawkgirl swung the mace down onto the top of the dome and onto Kang's dome. There was no attempt to break through. Hawkgirl lifted the mace and slammed it down onto the top of the dome in a repeated and rapid fire fashion.

A figure dressed in a body suit jumped down. The energy field dropped when Kang turned his attention towards Alia.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Alia asked.

"I'll send you back to the end of time like you sent me!" Kang yelled.

An energy beam cut through the air and almost caught Alia full on. Alia avoided Kang's attack with a surprising amount of precision. Any attempt to wipe her out had been avoided. The Conqueror intended to wipe her out and Alia wasn't going to stand straight in one place.

' _Good, keep him distracted,'_ Alia thought.

Superwoman returned on the other end of Kang. Three members of Kang's Elite Guard flashed behind him. One of them plunged a large red staff towards the Woman of Steel. The staff pushed through the air and Superwoman dodged the staff. A kick to the face dropped one of the goons with precision. Superwoman turned around and nailed her adversary with a series of huge punches.

She stepped back and waited for the next member of the army to attack. Flash made her way to the other side, and Hawkgirl joined her. Other members of the League hovered around.

"The Thangarians are some of the toughest warriors in history," one of the Elite Guard said. "You don't look too scary to meet, Tweety."

Hawkgirl responded with a very obvious roll of his eyes.

"Oh, that's really original, haven't heard that one before," Shayera said.

She made this cutting remark right before the heavy mace cracked off of the head one of Kang's elite guard. Shayera stepped back and avoided the attack of another one.

Kang stepped out to face Alia who aimed a cutting laser blast to him. Kang blocked it.

"I spent time mulling over our last battle," Kang said. "And you know what will be unleashed if I do not conquer this world now."

Alia didn't say a word. She just motioned for Kang to keep coming forward. Kang stepped towards her and fired a beam of light from his hand. The beam had been avoided and Alia dropped down behind Kang.

"You know it, and there's no avoiding it," Kang said. "So, why don't you stand down and let me take it over?"

"Sorry, I don't roll over for tyrants," Alia said. "I never have and I never will….and you should look up into the sky."

Faora came down from behind and knocked Kang into the wall. Kang flashed out of the way before he connected with the wall hard. Alia frowned when the members of Kang's Elite Guard vanished as well.

' _Still, work to do.'_

An explosion coming from Kang's ship reminded them all of the fact there was a lot of work to do.

* * *

Kara stepped around the corner. They had walked down an endless corridor. A humming sound caused Kara to keep walking. The hum grew louder and more annoying with every step. And yet, it sounded familiar to the Girl of Steel. Something about this hum led her to a ship.

The Girl of Steel stopped in front of the doorway and placed an ear on the other side of the door. Her frown deepened a second later. The Girl of Steel turned her attention to the other members of the Legion.

"I think we found it," Supergirl said.

"The JumpDrive is in there?" Phantom Girl asked.

"Something tells me it isn't going to be that easy to get inside," Saturn Girl commented. "No lock, no keypad….not anything….there has to be a secret switch somewhere."

Kara frowned and used her X-Ray vision. She saw the box on the other side. The green energy glowed in front of the Girl of Steel and her frown deepened.

"I don't think we're getting in there, anytime soon."

"Not without a key you aren't."

Everyone turned to face a pretty brunette woman dressed in the elegant set of robes. They were royalty and Saturn Girl's mouth hung open in a surprised fashion when this woman approached them. She could not believe what she saw.

"Queen Ravonna?" Saturn Girl asked.

"Yes," she said. "Yes, I am."

The Legion of Super Heroes and Supergirl all watched her arriving. This did not appear to be a trap, but at the same time, they were all on the edge.

"I pointed you in the direction and hope you would arrive here," Ravonna said.

"Why would you help us?" Supergirl asked. "No offense meant, I'm grateful the help, it's just, you're turning on your husband….."

"I'm not turning on my husband," Ravonna said. "I'm saving him from himself."

The Legion and Supergirl did not know what to say in response to this statement. The Queen turned around and closed her eyes for a couple of moments.

"It all started….where I can justify it," Ravonna said. "And then it got even worse….to the point where I can no longer justify it, no matter how much I want to support him."

They all had no idea what to say. Ravonna smiled and took their silence as her invitation to continue.

"He's fallen into a trap many other masters of time have had before him," Ravonna said. "They thought they were doing good and they thought they were going to stop time from being unraveled. Every time, they found a justification to what they were doing. Eventually, though, the justifications ran out, and they came close to erasing themselves and their loved ones out of history."

"He's obsessed with….."

"He was obsessed with the Avengers, but they are no longer in this dimension," Ravonna said. "Now, his obsession is the Dragon, who he has encountered during several points, even before she banished him to the end of time. Although that was their first meeting from her perspective….and this may be their last from my husband's perspective."

Ravonna realized she had committed the always confusing act of talking about time travel. The Queen sighed and tried to keep a grasp on herself.

"Don't try and wrap your heads around it right now," Ravonna said. "You're going to need your heads about yourself to defeat my husband. And to defeat my husband, you're going to need this key."

She placed the key into Supergirl's hand. Supergirl prepared to ask how the key might work. She spun the key around and it hit the side of the wall. The wall began to vibrate on the other side of them. Supergirl watched the wall retract open next to them.

The jump drive appeared in front of them. Supergirl stepped forward. The technology wasn't too completely foreign to her.

"The moment to access the jump drive and the reset functions of the ship, you have about ninety seconds to get out of here," Ravonna said. "Good luck, and….I'll see you in the future."

The Girl of Steel pressed her thumbs on either side of the drive. The drive shifted and started to vibrate underneath the Girl of Steel's fingers.

"Run!"

* * *

Kang dropped down to the ground and went two against one versus the Dragon and Superwoman. Both of them fought as one and boxed the mighty conqueror in. Kang's hands raised and he tried to knock them down.

He could feel a jolt in his armor and something was wrong.

"She activated the jump drive!" Kang yelled.

Kang could not believe his queen betrayed him in such a way. The Conqueror turned around and noticed Supergirl coming out of the ship. Kang blasted her with an energy beam and pushed her back. Supergirl responded by using her heat vision against Kang to push back.

The two battled back and forth. A battle of wills occurred between the two of them. Supergirl pushed back even harder and knocked Kang back onto the ground. The Girl of Steel flew back.

"This ends now!" Supergirl yelled.

"No, no!"

Kang turned towards Alia with one more parting blast. As always, she intended to get the last word. The Conqueror lifted off the ground and flew backward with one huge attack.

The mother ship disappeared, Kang's troops disappeared, and now Kang faded out of the picture. The Conqueror's eyes flashed with madness when he disappeared into the never ending time stream.

"I'll be back, you can't….we'll face each other again!"

Alia watched Kang disappear with a crisp smile. She would miss him, although not really. The Dragon's wicked grin pressed over her face.

"So, there's that," Alia said. "Good work everyone."

The Justice League averted another crisis, with some help. The Earth was saved, the invaders from the future had disappeared.

Superwoman dropped to the ground and smiled. This smile faded away to something. A delirious sensation spread over the mind of Superwoman.

Kara stared at her cousin and something flashed in her mind. The temples of the Girl of Steel throbbed and she dropped down onto the ground, clutching the top of her head.

Imra could feel a flash of something hit the back of her mind. These images assaulted her. Alia turned towards them and frowned.

"Something happening, they're trying to erase….."

Superwoman dropped down to the ground with an insane pain going through her body. None of this made any sense to her.

"Clara, stay with us!" Alia yelled. "Who is trying to erase them?"

Saturn Girl lapsed into a catatonic state. The visions and thoughts flashing in her mind resulted in a throbbing head. The blonde woman started to shake and breathe in and out in a heavy fashion. Sweat spilled down the woman's face.

"Saturn Girl!" Phantom Girl shouted. "Imra, what the hell is going on here?"

Kara could see it in the back of her head. Her powers fluctuated, and for a second, Kara thought she was here, then she was not, and she faded out of reality.

"It's...Krypton," Kara yelled.

"Krypton?" Alia asked. "Is it under attack?"

"No….Krypton….is…surviving," Kara said. "It doesn't….it won't blow up."

Alia could not make heads or tails of what Kara was saying. This entire situation resulted in her frowning and grabbing Kara.

"Kara, please, stay with us," Alia said. "What about Krypton?"

"They're going back to Krypton to prevent it from being destroyed," Kara said. "Granny...Granny Goodness, Grace, and the Furies….they're heading there."

No Krypton blowing up meant no Superwoman on Earth and no Superwoman on Earth meant no Darkseid's plans of taking over Earth being foiled. It all hit them suddenly.

"Yes, there's still time before the timeline settles," Imra said.

Imra raised her Legion Ring to travel further back in time, only to realize it vanished from her hand. No Superwoman meant no Legion, and no Legion meant no Legion rings. It would only be a matter of time before they got erased as well.

A time storm erupted and threatened to wipe out every single thing which contradicted this new timeline. They had less than a minute to escape it.

A boom tube opened and Barda stuck her head out.

"Come with me if you want to live."

Alia, Kara, Claire, and the Legion all slipped to the Boom Tube just a split second before the time storm would have consumed them.

All of Metropolis re-shaped into a desolate wasteland.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on August 30** **th** **, 2016.**


	95. Chapter 95

_Chapter of the Week Voting Up At the Blog As Per Usual.  
_

 **Chapter Ninety-Five: Escape to Krypton Part One.**

* * *

Kara could feel something creeping up on her the moment she passed through the Boom Tube. Her heart skipped several beats the moment she skidded to a stop where they were. Kara drew in a deep breath, and she wasn't the only one.

"Barda, what the hell is happening?" Kara asked. Her skin still scorched from the close shave.

"Granny wasn't clear with her plan, although it's becoming clear right now," Barda said. "Granny is….well she's attempting to erase the two biggest threats to Darkseid's plans from history….by saving Krypton."

The Girl of Steel took a couple of moments to let this settle in. It really didn't make sense at first. The more she wrapped her head around the logic, the more it made perfect sense to her. It made so much sense, she couldn't believe they didn't figure out this particular element of Darkseid's plan at first.

"Yes, I figured out about that much," Kara said. "If Krypton doesn't get destroyed, then there's no reason for Claire to be sent to Earth. If Claire doesn't get sent to Earth, then I don't get sent to Earth, and then….well you can see how the domino effect works from there."

Kara began to envision all of the things which would change without a Superwoman or even a Supergirl. People would not be inspired to do better, villains would run rough shot. Many people who were put in danger would not be saved. Kara frowned. It really was awful when she thought about it.

"Yes, I can see it," Barda said. "Granny has found a way to go through time, to right before the core hit its final stage of instability...Apokolips will be the savior of Krypton…"

"Does she realize time traveling in such a way could end up wiping her out of history just as much?" Alia asked. She took in a deep breath before continuing. "Krypton is…"

Claire started to vibrate a little bit which caused the entire group to turn their full and undivided attention to the Girl of Steel. They watched, mouths opened wide in horror.

"I don't feel so good," Claire said. "No, no, I feel something, it's pulling on me!"

Kara thought this was not happening, this could not be happening. She watched Claire's attempts to hold herself on. Alia and the Legion seemed less than surprised from what was happening, but Kara looked on in absolute horror, watching as her cousin faded in and out.

"CLAIRE!" Kara yelled. She rushed towards her cousin in an attempt to grab her. Claire's hand shoved through Kara's fingers. "Claire, just…damn it, please, stay focused."

"Kara, Kara, Kara, calm down!" Alia yelled.

Kara's eyes flashed red when spinning around to face Alia. Alia stood her ground, even if she flinched a slight bit.

"I AM CALM!"

Kara started to freak out big time. The breathing increased and her heart pounded against her lips. Claire grew even more transparent by the moment.

"This isn't helping," Alia said. She squeezed her sister's shoulder and pulled the blonde a step back. Kara watched in desperation with Claire flicking. "She's encountering a time flux, a paradox where it doesn't seem what it wants to do. It won't erase because she's outside of time, at least not completely."

Kara could see Claire faint, barely visible, and she had a different perspective than Alia did.

"It sure looks like it's erasing her now!" Kara yelled.

"Yes, I know, calm down," Alia said. "Just calm down, it will be alright trust me."

Kara's eyes followed the progress of Claire. Only to see she wasn't standing there anymore. Then she was a second later. Then Superwoman flickered back into reality, and then back out.

"We have far bigger problems than this," Barda said. "Yes, other than Superwoman being wiped out of history...I pulled you out just in time. Had you been there a second longer."

"The timeline would have wiped us all out," Imra said. "Technically we don't exist anymore, do we?"

Barda sighed, and she prepared to talk about the rather frustrating process of time travel. It was bound to give anyone a headache even in the best of times.

"No, you don't," Barda said. "It's quite the paradox….and I don't think any of us could wrap our heads around it."

Alia sighed and decided to nip this particular line of conversation in the bud before their heads ended up exploding from the insane paradox.

"Let's not worry about wrapping our heads around why we're here," Alia said. "Let's worry about wrapping our heads around finding a way out of here….as soon as possible."

"Yes, that's the idea," Imra said. "There's something you should know about Krypton. There are places where….well there are places where…"

"There are places where we're forbidden to travel," Ayla said. "You don't think many of us would want to have gotten a peek at Superwoman's home planet when it was in the prime?"

Everyone nodded. They did find it rather peculiar the Legion did not take a chance to look at their heroes homeworld in its prime when they had the opportunity to do so.

"Right, anyway, of course, we would, but at the same time, we couldn't," Ayla said. "You know why we couldn't….."

"Krypton is a set point in time, and it's destruction needed to happen to protect several other more catastrophic events," Alia said. Kara blinked. "Don't you think I haven't considered it? Don't you think I haven't considered going back in time?"

Kara thought about it for a moment and bobbed her head in response.

"Yes, I think you would have," Kara said. "But, if we're not allowed to go back in time to Krypton then…how did Granny and her good squad find a way to go back in time?"

"Granny's broke down a wall separating past, present, and future," Imra said. "The good news is, the timeline hasn't settled. The bad news is…we're going to have to break every single rule of time travel to stop the world from ending."

All of them tensed up, the risks of this entire mess coming out to haunt them right about now. The Legion had tried not to abuse their time traveling privileges. Desperate times came from very desperate measures.

Alia knew about the consequences better than anyone else, given how she had been marooned in time and space.

"Yes," Alia said. "This is what I had to do…and the consequences left Karen and myself trapped in the past, our timeline having wiped out. Somehow we sustained, although every minute when I go to bed, I think there might not be tomorrow. Fate might catch up with me."

Kara looked at the spot where Claire stood, or rather once stood. She was gone now and Kara resolved to fix it before she went the same way. A firm smile appeared on Kara's face the second she turned around.

"I don't believe in fate," Kara said. "I believe in choice and I believe in opportunity. Don't you?"

Alia responded with a smile, although it had been rather weak in scope.

"Of course, I do," Alia said. "Let's go."

"Some things are worth the risk," Imra said. The Legion's leader jaw remained set and she was not the only one to work look forward with such confidence.

Another portal opened and this one would bring them to Krypton. Kara was on pins and needles visiting the Planet in its dying days. So many memories flooded back to her and not the good kind of memories either.

* * *

"We cannot bury our heads in the sand for much longer. We cannot ignore what is going on around us, no matter how convenient it is. Krypton is going to die, in a matter of weeks, months, and years."

Jor-El recalled giving this speech to the council so many times before he could recite it in his sleep. There had been a series of events in the past few months which pointed towards the fact Krypton's core was finally going to explode any day now. The mining operations had been something Jor-El had warned about, but the Council gave Zor-El and his team the go-ahead to do so.

The Council's beady little eyes locked onto Jor-El. The looks on their face ranged the spectrum from complete indifference to total scorn.

"Jor-El, we thank you for your theory," one of the members of the council stated. "And while we have been under the siege of war for quite some time, I think you're overreacting a fair bit. Krypton will not die, it will thrive for as long as we should live and breathe."

"You are overexaggerating, Jor-El," another council member said. "Or you have misread some data. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Even the most brilliant scientific minds are prone to error on occasion."

The council made the same arguments they always did. Jor-El knew what was coming next, and he could not stop it even if he tried.

"Brainiac has said your data is inconclusive, and based off of false positives," one of the members of the council said.

"We've been down this road before, Jor-El," one of the Council members said. He looked on in a rather bored manner. "How many times are you going to say the sky is going to fall before it grows old? Hard data does night lie, and Brainiac has been built to protect the best interests of Krypton."

"Technology is not flawless. And this should mean something considering I helped commission the initial project which evolved into what you've called the BrainInteractive Construct."

Two women entered the Council chambers at this point of time. One of them dressed in elegant white and blue robes, with a red "S" symbol on the back of it. Her blonde hair had tied back. The other looked to be her twin, the only different was she boasted of brunette hair.

"This is a closed Council, you should know the protocol….."

The council had been cut off by a scoff from the brunette woman. She eyed the council with no small amount of disdain.

"And here I thought helping banishing Zod and his men would allow me a small amount of levity with this council," the brunette woman said. "I guess saving the planet and this council from being destroyed does not mean much. I'll remember it next time a tyrant threatens to blow up the building with all you in it."

The council all shifted back with unease. She had proven her point and now they would have to give both of them the floor.

"Very well," one of the council members said in a tense voice. "The council recognizes General Astra In-Ze of the Kandorian army, and also her sister, Alura."

The brunette woman, Astra, nodded. The two sisters locked eyes. Despite all of their past differences and there were many, they were in this together.

"Yes, thank you," Astra said. "I don't have much common ground with my sister. There are times where we clash on the most inane of things. Be that as it may, though, this is one element where I think we both do have some common ground on."

The Council looked towards them with those looks they were lost and confused. Astra took advantage of the fact they were so flummoxed to press on.

"I agree with Alura, and even more surprisingly, I'm sure, I agree with Jor-El on these findings," Astra said. "And you do remember who was the one who warned you of Zod? And you ignored this fact until the last possible moment, where all was lost. He would have butchered you all, or your families, or your associates outside of this building. So what makes you think I'd lie when I was proven truthful in the past?"

True to form, the council had managed to form their opinion before anyone had decided to say anything. They had decided to take Brainiac at his word, despite the fact there were several problems.

"Brainiac has declared….."

"Technology can be fooled," Alura said.

Before this debate raged on any further, a bright light engulfed the chambers. Several individuals stepped in and a brunette woman walked in. She dressed in purple robes and had a bright smile on her face. Two of her subordinates carried a box.

"Hello," the mysterious woman said, looking at the shell-shocked council. "I have the means to help the core of this planet heal, providing you allow me to help you."

* * *

Thirteen-year-old Kara Zor-El looked outside, waiting for her mother to return home from her trip to the Council. These trips took longer and they were far more frequent. Her mother kept something from her and Kara had a good idea what it was.

She had gotten a slight amount of scorn from her fellow schoolmates due to the fact her uncle kept declaring Krypton was about ready to die. Whether or not this was the case, Kara did not know. Kara was not as brilliant as her uncle or her mother or even her aunt.

Which her mother said should not bother Kara, but Kara wanted to live up to Alura's high standards.

A sound of the door creaking open caused Kara to brought out of her thoughts. The young Kryptonian responded with a frown.

"Mother?" Kara asked.

Three figures made their way inside. Kara did not know who they were, but they did not seem to be friendly.

' _Not my mother then….what is happening?'_

They started to smash their way inside. This tensed Kara up. They were not friendly. Alura warned her what to do in situations like this.

Kara made her way over to access the panic room switch. Her blood started to pump in excitement and also with fear. The young girl pressed on the wall and groped around for the switch.

The intruders, who managed to disable the outer security defenses, continued to search around. This caused Kara's nerves to rack up to an entirely new level. The young girl's heart beat in an even faster way.

"Spread out, search the area, she can't be far."

' _Where's the switch, ah there it is…..'_

A pair of strong hands grabbed Kara around the shoulders and spun around. This woman had the crazy eyes with Alura warned Kara about. Kara tried to fight out, only to find herself into the arms of another one of these hideous looking women.

"Who are you people?" the young girl asked. "I don't know…."

The leader of the team withdrew a blade and pointed it at the edge of Kara's neck.

"Oh, you don't know us yet, do you?" the leader asked, looking mad. "Oh, but you will know us pretty soon, and you're going to be a pretty little thorn in our sides when you know us."

"We're going to prevent you from knowing us, though," the leader of the group said. "We're going to take you out, it's going to be the simplest thing we've ever done."

Kara tried to fight out and one sickening thought hit her hard. They were here to kill her. Kara was not going to get out of this, at least not alive. She tried to get out, but they held the Kryptonian back.

A flash of light appeared. A rather shell-shocked Claire Kent appeared. One second ago, she had been wiped out, and she was here on Krypton.

Claire noticed her cousin was in terrible danger and reacted as one would expect. She rushed in with super speed and knocked the attackers back a couple of feet. Claire scooped up Kara and jolted out of there.

Kara gasped for a second and wondered what just happened. She was more than confused. This mysterious person, who rescued her, blew her away.

"Who…what…who are you?"

"A friend," Claire said, shell-shocked as much as the girl as how she got here. A moment ago from her perspective, she vanished, and now she ended up here.

* * *

The older version of Kara Zor-El arrived at the House of El estate. This old place brought back memories, memories of which Kara tried to suppress when coming down here. This was over now, she needed to focus.

' _Have to protect Clara before they get to her,'_ Kara thought. _'I really hope I'm not too late….please, for the love of Rao, don't be too late, not now of all times?'_

The door recognized Kara as Kara, thankfully. This would make things a lot easier. Kara needed to be here when they attacked. Grace and Granny would be the type to smother a child when she slept, out of love of course.

"Alura?"

Kara was taken off guard at being referred to by her mother's name. She turned off to the side and came face to face with a very familiar face. Kara had not seen her in the flesh in some time, although she saw this woman in AI form on many occasions.

"Lara?" Kara asked.

Lara walked forward and looked at Kara, still thinking she was Alura. This was going to make things a lot more difficult than before.

"Did Jor-El convince the Council he was telling the truth?" Lara asked. "Did you help him? Is he coming back soon?"

Kara wondered what was going on here. Granny cut it close, pretty close if she would be honest.

"I don't know," Kara said, trying not to let her emotions get the better of her. "Your daughter, she's in danger…there's some really bad people coming….is Clara safe?"

Lara had been taken aback by this sudden and abrupt turn of questioning on the part of her friend. She responded to this question with a crisp nod as a horrified look flashed through her eyes.

"Yes, she's in the nursery, she finally fell asleep," Lara said. She could see the intense look on Alura's face. "Alura, you're starting to really scare me, you know."

Something spooked Lara even more. A dark haired girl rushed inside and dropped down to the ground. The girl released her niece. Kara looked on shell shocked.

The older version of Kara watched as her younger counterpart locked eyes. Had she ever been this wide-eyed and innocent? Kara could hardly remember.

"Mother?" the younger Kara asked the older one. "Some really bad people showed up and started to trash your lab…..I don't….."

Kara reached over and pulled her younger self into the hug. The younger Kara had been surprised, but gently returned the hug from what she assumed to be her mother.

"Just calm down, everything will be alright," Kara said, knowing how frantic her younger self would be at this particular stage of the game. Hell, she should get pretty frantic. "Claire, I'm glad you….."

Claire smiled. She could not even begin to know what happened.

"Yes, I'm glad I am as well," Claire said. "Even if I don't know how, I'm really glad I'm fine."

Kara sighed. She was glad her cousin didn't disappear. Which mean there was still some time to salvage all of this.

"Good, the Legion is….well they're trying to track down Grace, Granny, and the rest, and Barda's helping them, and Alia is…well, I'm not sure," Kara said. "It's up to us, to protect our past selves from getting killed and making sure….we get off of the planet when we're supposed to."

Lara looked to who she thought was Alura, to the mysterious woman, who looked she could be Lara's younger sister, only with dark hair. She did have Jor-El's eye-shape though.

"What is going here?" Lara asked. "Who are you?"

Claire frowned. This was going to be pretty difficult. Especially considering her mother was as sharp as they come.

"You don't want to know," Claire said.

Kara slipped Claire an armband. Claire looked at Kara.

"Here, Claire, take this," Kara said. "And go keep an eye on Clara, guard her like your life depends on it."

Claire slapped the armband on. She remembered Alia mentioned something about creating a device which would prevent people from shifting out of reality.

' _Mostly because it does,'_ Kara thought. She groaned, hoping this situation would work out for the better.

"You aren't answering my questions….wait, you're not Alura after all are you?" Lara asked. "If you're not Alura…then you are….."

Kara sighed. She wondered when they would get to this particular point.

"My name is Kara Zor-El, I'm from the future," Kara said. "And I'm here to make sure…"

A boom tube erupted and Claire groaned. The same Female Furies which she encountered at Alura's lab showed up and they were not going to give up without a fight.

' _No time for explanations right now,'_ Kara thought. _'Saved by the crazed Furies trying to attack us….never thought I'd say that statement.'_

* * *

Astra In-Ze crept around the corner. A sinking feeling enveloped the pit of her stomach when searching for the woman who called herself Grace. Something about this woman seemed both familiar and very, very, unsettling. Astra knew one thing to be certain, no matter who Grace claimed to be.

' _I don't trust this woman as far as I can throw her.'_

The angry voice of Grace caught Astra's attention.

"I don't care if they managed to find a way to go back in time and stop it!" Grace yelled. "We're so close to achieving our goals. I won't have a setback now...I must prove I'm better than Granny Goodness in every way."

"She was snatched away, and it might be hard for us to get to her now…"

"Do whatever you have to, but I want Kara Zor-El dead, her past self," Grace said. "The only thing I'm going to have to stomach is the fact I won't be able to see her future self disappear into oblivion along her. She thinks she's so perfect, but she really isn't. She's not the beacon of hope and light she thinks she is."

Astra's blood began to boil.

' _Not my niece, I don't think so.'_

Astra went around the corner and without another word, grabbed this foul woman around the throat and brought her into the wall. A blade inched close to Grace's throat.

"You think you're clever, don't you?" Astra asked. "Well, you've been able to sweet talk the council, but I see you for who you are. You don't intend to save Krypton at all, do you?"

"I am its savior, and soon the world will bow before….."

Some guards walked around the corner and saw the woman who promised to solve all of their problems being assaulted by Astra.

"Help!" Grace yelled. "She assaulted me."

Astra's rage hit an entirely new level. How dare this hag try and claim to be the victim?

"She intends to commit assassination….on my bloodline," Astra said. "I won't stand by….."

"Please, she's gone mad….the torment of not being able to save her people….protect me!" Grace said.

The guards walked towards Astra. Astra's frown grew rather fierce when looking at the guards as if daring them to proceed. The leader of the guards exhaled and looked towards Astra.

"General Astra, step away from Grace, now," one of the guards asked. "Lack of compliance….."

"You really think you can tell me what to do?" Astra asked. She stood up to her full height and rose up over them. "I command you….."

The guards withdrew their weapons and pointed them. Astra slacked her grip off of Grace and turned around.

"Stand down, General!" one of the guards yelled. "Don't force us to use force!"

"Well, you're going to be forced to use force, because I'm not standing down," Astra said. "Not when my family is on the line, don't force me to spill my blood."

Alia watched from above and knew this would get ugly in a hurry.

' _Well, time to make my move,'_ Alia thought.

Alia jumped down and took out three of the guards in one movement. Astra took advantage of the distraction by punching out a third guard.

Astra looked towards the mysterious savior. Something familiar about her, but no time to worry about that, especially when her niece's assassin scurried off.

"Who are you?" Astra asked.

"Your ticket out of here and saving your niece," Alia said.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on September 2** **nd,** **2016.**


	96. Chapter 96

**Chapter Ninety-Six: Escape from Krypton Part Two.**

* * *

Astra dodged the attack from one of the members of the royal guard. A small part of her respected these noble warriors, but the moment they started to attack her was the moment any amount of respect flew out the window. And speaking of flying out the window, there went one of the guards.

The decorated Kryptonian general had no idea what the hell was going on.

"We don't have much time," Astra said. "They think this Grace is going to save the planet…..and they think she's some kind of hero."

Alia stunned one of the guards. If this was the elite of the Kryptonian military force, she feared for the future of this entire planet. Alia jumped up and dropped behind her. One of them picked up a laser weapon and pointed it towards her.

"She must have done some kind of job on them to make them think that," Alia said. "She's a pretty smug snake when it all boils down to it."

Astra knocked out one of the guards before they could get a piece of Alia. The General started to chain together a series of rapid-fire punches and kicks to bring the guards down.

"You've met her before, haven't you?" Astra asked. Alia turned towards her. "If we get out of here alive, you're going to have to tell me everything which is going on….."

Alia grabbed the head of one of the guards who was putting up a struggle. If she remembered her pressure points, the point to bring him out was right about here. Alia pressed the point of her fingers on the nerve ending. The guard's knees shook and buckled out from underneath him, collapsing down to the ground.

"There's no if we're getting out alive," Alia said. She disarmed one of the guards. The reserves of her powers remained strong. All she had to do was ensure she kept up the attacks. "We will be getting out of here alive. The entire fate of the universe rests on this fact."

Astra looked at the remaining guard. He looked on as if he did not want to do this. Astra motioned for him to take his best shot. The guard charged forward and the Kryptonian General dodged the attack. She planted the point of a fist down into the back of the enemy to cause him to slump down.

"I see," Astra said, responding with a frown. "So, can I ask….."

Alia held up a hand to stall this point of questioning. The pitter patter of little footsteps coming off in the distance put Alia on edge.

"Later, there's going to be more coming," Alia said. She rustled through the belt of one of the men and a triumphant smile came back.

Alia lifted up a circular explosive device and pressed it against the wall. Astra watched what Alia did and Alia turned around to motion for her to stand back.

"I suggest you stand back," Alia said. "This is going to be a rough one and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Right," Astra said without missing a beat. She stood back and waited for the other shoe to drop.

The wall exploded and caused debris to fly back. The second the dust cleared, Alia jumped at least two stories down. She landed on the rocks and almost slid.

Astra followed her with a jump of her own. The Kryptonian General almost slid off of the rocks. Alia reached forward and grabbed her. The two climbed over the fence and dropped down. They waded towards a rocky field while traveling through a slushy marsh.

"Well, that wasn't the most pleasant way in the world to get out of this situation," Astra said. "But, at least we got out of here alive…"

Astra's gaze flashed over in sudden recognition. Her eyes locked onto Alia's and something slowly dawned on her. Alia did not really look to be jarred, in fact, she was surprised Astra did not figure it out sooner.

' _So, she's figured it out,'_ Alia said. _'Thankfully, she's figured it out….actually, this might not be the worst thing in the world, depending on how she reacts.'_

"You resemble, Ursa," Astra said. "You're her? You're the Daughter of Zod?"

Alia thought this question could have been spoken in a more hostile manner, so thankfully she was able to appease Astra with a couple of words and a brisk smile.

"In a matter of speaking," Alia said. "Technically speaking, I haven't been born yet. And not in this universe either, so it's going to be fine."

"So, wait, you've traveled back in time?" Astra asked. "And through dimensions?"

Alia responded with laughter, although she looked over her shoulder. Never could be too careful in a situation like this. There were guards who were coming in every direction. Alia did not want to be caught up with them and Astra did not want to either.

"Very good," Alia said. "We better keep going, they'll hunt us down…"

Astra took the opportunity to move forward and keep moving forward. Alia walked behind her a couple of steps and the two of them made their way around the corner.

"Yes," Astra said. "You do realize these disruptions are going to get worse the further we go alone. Jor-El may be many things, but inaccurate he's not. Especially with something like this, he would not have any cause to lie or any reason."

"No, he wouldn't," Alia said. "Your niece is safe….or she should be safe...Kara saved her."

This particular revelation caught Astra off guard. There were more thoughts entering her mind than she could deal with.

"Kara…," Astra said. She paused for a second and the frustration thoughts of time travel hit Astra nice and hard. "So now what?"

Alia had already figured out this point. She turned towards Astra with a knowing smile and tried to appease the woman.

"We're going to have to find the device Grace gave to the Council and put a stop to it," Alia said. "For our sake and for the sake of all of Krypton."

"Are they going to destroy it?" Astra asked.

Alia figured the other shoe was going to drop sooner or later. She would have to explain this one to Astra, no matter how much she dreaded given the explanation.

"No, Krypton is not going to be destroyed," Alia said. "They're going to save it. And we can't let them, this planet has to be destroyed, or countless others will meet their end, and eventually Krypton's end will come around again."

Astra blinked for a few minutes. The bright side was she did not respond with any amount of rage. On the negative side, though, Astra did not say anything thus leaving Alia in the dark and not quite sure what to say or what to do.

"I know it's a lot to take in," Alia said. "Just give me a couple of minutes to explain it and I will…..I swear…."

Astra accepted this statement, at least for the moment.

"You better," Astra muttered.

* * *

Kara rushed to the House of El estate. Despite not being here for several years, there was a small part of Kara who remembered being at this place as if it was just yesterday.

"If I recall this place correctly, there should be some shields which should protect us, at least for a short amount of time," Kara said. "But, I'm going to need to…"

The portal opened and the Female Furies dropped down the sky. As always, they had been lead by Lashina, who looked as wicked as usual.

"Well, well, if it isn't the older Girl of Steel!" Lashina yelled.

' _Much too late for that,'_ Kara thought.

"I don't know how you got here, and I don't care," Lashina said. "I'm going to enjoy ripping you to shreds, though."

Kara braced herself for a battle. Lashina was as tough as a whip and boasted of using those electrified whips as well. Kara needed to have her entire wits about herself for this battle to go the right way.

"You'd get off on that, wouldn't you, you psychotic bitch?" Kara asked.

"Are you getting a bit weak?" another one of the furies asked. "Maybe you don't know because this planet doesn't have a yellow sun. You're going to be as weak as a simple human….."

Kara grabbed the woman in question and took her down with a shoulder throw. She did not need powers do to this, merely speed and skill.

"You really think I need my powers to beat the likes of you?" Kara asked.

Another one of the Furies rushed Kara. Kara dodged the attack and jumped up. She planted a knee onto the back of the woman's head and brought her down to the ground.

' _Although it helps,'_ Kara thought.

Lashina and Kara prepared to square off. This woman whipped forward. Kara dodged the whip and it wrapped around her. The Girl of Steel twisted out and caused the whip to crack and snap.

Another attempt of a wing had been blocked by an energy blast. The three members of the Legion flashed in front of Kara.

"Don't worry, Supergirl," Tinya said. "We're here…"

Lashina howled and cracked the whip again.

"Well, hate to eliminate your fan club as well," Lashina said. "We're going to have to take them out….."

Imra caught Lashina from behind with an attack which dropped the field leader of the Female Furies down to her knees. The telepathic alien responded with a rather crisp sigh.

"There's one thing which never changes, no matter what," Imra said. She dodged the attack and pushed one of the Female Furies against the wall. The Fury slumped against the wall. "People from Apokolips have never quite learned how to shut up!"

"It's a common flaw of the Furies," Kara said.

A scream echoed from the lab and Kara had tensed up. Already she could see something blasting down the hall.

"You don't know how much trouble your brat has caused," Granny said. She raised her hand and knocked Lara to the ground. "Don't worry, darling, dear Granny will….."

Claire rushed into the lab and grabbed Granny, hurling her to the ground. The woman landed on the ground. The staff she held flew from her hand. Claire rushed in and kicked the staff out of Granny's grip which caused the woman to howl in agony.

"You stay away from my mother!" Claire yelled.

Granny looked up, fearful of this great power directed at her. So much violence, so much anger, poor Granny thought she would need a change of pants after this.

"Please, pumpkin, you know dear Granny would have never…" Granny said. The hands of the Woman of Steel wrapped around her throat and throttled the life out of the horrific gargoyle-like woman. "You have to conserve your strength….."

Claire squeezed a little bit tighter, putting a lot of pressure around the neck of Granny.

"It will be worth it," Claire said.

Lashina rushed in and whipped Superwoman across the back. She fell to the ground. Granny staggered to her feet, red marks all over her neck.

"There's the signal!" Lashina said. "We better go while it's still good…."

Lashina threw an explosive device on the ground. It caused a miniature explosion which allowed the Furies plenty of cover to escape.

Claire fought her way through the debris which had been created.

"No, she can't get away!" Claire yelled.

"Actually, she has," Kara said. "I'm sorry, but at least we saved….ourselves."

Kara realized how absurd this particular statement sounded. Only one thing hit her.

' _I really hate time travel.'_

* * *

Alia escorted Astra down to a place where she never hoped anyone would have to go again.

"The old mining tunnel?" Astra asked. The miners had been cleared out some time ago because of the instabilities and the accidents which were caused. "Are you sure?"

Astra figured this made about as much sense as anything else. Still, she needed to test Alia to make sure she knew why they were heading down this particular rabbit hole.

"Think about it, it makes perfect sense," Alia said. "These tunnels dug down deep into the parts of the planetary core for minerals. It's caused instabilities in the planetary core."

Astra hated to be reminded of this particular fact. So much wasted air trying to convince the Council they were dooming themselves. It never worked her idiotic brother-in-law and her plans. Thankfully, Kara inherited her sense from her mother, thankfully.

"Yes," Astra said. "I warned them this would happen. None of them listened. They never chose to listen, do they?"

Alia hated to be the one to enlighten Astra on the fact this never really changed even after Krypton met its downfall.

"Sadly, it doesn't seem to ever listen," Alia said. "If I'm going to hazard a guess, Grace is going to be down here soon…and she's going to…do what she's going to do."

Astra decided to finally say something because she was at a loss. Now they had some room to breath and some time to talk.

"You didn't explain it yet," Astra said. "You didn't explain why this planet needs to die. I understand about there being a greater order in the universe, but a little explanation should be necessary."

"It's your niece, and her cousin," Alia said. Astra raised her eyebrow. "They're destined for greatness. But, it won't be on Krypton. It's on a planet known as Earth."

"Earth?" Astra asked. A moment's pause followed when she racked her brain. "Yes, of course, I've heard of it, it's quite primitive when compared to Krypton."

Alia hoped this little misconception about Earth and its place in the universe would not sour Astra on what was necessary to be done.

"Primitive, yes it is," Alia said. "It also has a lot of potential and…"

Astra and Alia's conversation stalled when hearing some people make their way down the tunnel. The mines had been located in this particular section of the tunnel.

"Follow me, this way, and make sure to break the cortex along with you," Grace said. "Any damage which is caused we will…"

Suddenly, the lights started to blink in the tunnel. The mine carts came to life, with the computer inside being visited by the AI which governed all of Krypton.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to do this," a familiar and very monotone voice said. "You see, by doing this, you will cause Krypton not to reach its natural stage of evolution. And by allowing her to do this, you are compromising the future of this planet."

Grace frowned. This glorified piece of Malware complicated her plans.

"I'm afraid to say this planet does not have any future," Grace said. "This Brainiac is going to be your demise. He will be responsible for the demise of several other planets in this solar system as well. He is already downloading data which will be used by him on his conquest and he intends to allow the planet to die."

"What should we do?" one of the guards asked.

"You should go with the natural course of action, and…"

Grace pressed a button. She had a plan for this, as she had a plan for everything else. The one known as Brainiac had been driven silent. It wouldn't shut him down forever. The computer virus would stop him and distract him from repairing his system until it was too late.

"It appears your defense system has undergone a critical malfunction," Grace said. "That's a real shame."

* * *

Kara thought the best place for her younger self would be their old family home.

Alura In-Ze returned home and came face to face with a woman who appeared to her younger self. Stacks of notes rested in her arms, notes which she had brought to the Council. Notes which had fallen on deaf ears the moment that woman showed up.

"What in the name of Rao is going on here?" Alura asked. She saw a woman who resembled a younger version of herself walk in along with her daughter. "You look like me…..and then...Kara, are you fine?"

Kara the younger blinked and turned from her mother to…her mother. The poor girl had been confused by this particular revelation and it was only going to get more headache inducing from here.

"I'm fine but….wait a minute, what's going on here?" Kara the younger asked. The poor girl was bewildered beyond all belief. "You don't have another sister beside Aunt Astra, do you?"

Kara, the older one, responded with a sigh. She knew this conversation would be coming, there was no real stopping it.

"I know this is hard to believe," Kara said. "I'm from the future, and if we allow Granny Goodness and Amazing Grace of Apokolips go through with their plans….."

"WAIT!" Alura yelled. She nearly dropped the papers on the ground. "You mean, that woman who has sweet talked the council is really from Apokolips….."

"Yes, Mother, she is," Kara said. "I'm Kara, from the future, and….I've been on Earth for a long time. Krypton died a long time ago."

The younger version of Kara responded with a gasp and Alura closed her eyes in response.

"So it is dying," Kara the younger said. She took in a deep breath. "I thought….well it doesn't matter right now, does it?"

Alura made a split second decision of what to do and she decided it would be best to send her daughter off on her way.

"Kara, please wait inside my lab," Alura said. The moment the present version of her daughter was out of an earshot, Alura turned to the future version. "Time travel is not proven science, but are you running a risk by being this open with the fact you're from the future?"

Kara sighed, given all of the quirks around time travel, there were some pretty real risks of what she was doing.

"It's a risk," Kara said. "But, it's too late now. Everything is out in the open."

"Fine, I can see your point," Alura said. "I've thought about doing what I can to help save Krypton. I must have gone over it in my mind countless times."

Kara hated to be the one to break it. It was hard enough to have to stand back and watch Krypton die all over again, even though it was for the good of the universe.

"There's no saving it," Kara said. The two women grabbed hands. "It's destined to die….because if Krypton doesn't die, the entire universe is going to suffer, big time."

"I see," Alura said. "There has to be another way."

A smile crossed over the place of the Girl of Steel.

"If there was another way, we wouldn't be in this mess," Kara said. "I'm going to go to Earth, be in stasis for almost twenty years, and be let out. Clara is being sent there, and she's going to grow up to be the greatest heroine the world has ever seen."

"Little Clara is going to be a hero?" Kara the younger asked.

Alura noticed her daughter, the present one, poking her head out the side of the lab door.

"Kara!" Alura cried. She turned towards her younger daughter. "I thought I told you to wait in my…"

An explosion came off. Alura rushed inside and could see something smoking. She realized what happened and it caused her blood to turn cold.

"No, no, this can't be happening," Alura said.

Kara recognized what was on fire and her blood turned cold right along with Alura's.

"This is…it's the pod, which sends me to Earth, or will send me to Earth?" Kara asked.

"I've built it as a failsafe, unfortunately, I can only build it to carry one person," Alura said. "And now, it's back to square one."

The alarms on the outside of Alura's estate went off. Kara closed her eyes.

' _Oh for the love…NOT NOW!'_

"We have a bigger problem than that," Kara said.

Female Furies busted down the doors and Kara really wasn't in the mood for this. They were persistent and the Legion were tracking down Granny and Grace. Apparently, they split their forces so they could split the heroes.

"Hey Supergirl, did you really think we were going to let you go without a fight?"

* * *

Astra decided to make her move now. She wanted to get her hands on Grace ever since the woman talked so openly about wanting to kill Kara. It caused rage to bubble through her.

Grace turned towards Astra and decided to respond with the typical smug snake smile. It was an unfortunate thing she had in common with her brother.

"You won't get away with this," Astra said.

The Agent of Apokolips laughed in the face of the face of one of the women who could rip her apart if she set her mind to it.

"You're amusing," Grace said. "Save the planet from Zod, be a war hero….none of it matters in the past. You're nothing, other than a terrorist. Lost, trapped, in the Phantom Zone. You've done nothing worthwhile and now….I'm about to be beloved by many as the woman who saved Krypton."

Grace held up the remote control and pressed the button. It wasn't registering a signal. The woman growled and pressed the button a couple more times.

"Something's wrong," Grace said. "Something's not working."

Alia broke out into laughter and responded with a smug snake smile much like the one Grace wore earlier.

"What's so funny?" Grace asked, glaring at Alia. "I demand you tell me…."

"I must have jammed your little device," Alia said. "And now, I just shorted out your little device. "That's really a shame isn't it?"

Grace could see her plans slipping away, slipping down the drain, circling it. Rage had flown through her.

"YOU BITCH, I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!" Grace yelled. The manipulative woman charged at Alia.

Alia blocked Grace's sad attempts to attack her. One punch nailed Grace down to the ground and another punch took her down.

"You know, you're not much of a fighter," Alia said. "So, what makes you think this would have ended any other way than you flat on your back, eating dirt? I didn't think so. But, you know, I could have been wrong."

Alia casually snapped Grace's neck and caused this horrible woman to draw her last breath.

"That's for the children you tormented," Alia said.

A loud rumble echoed more signs of some kind of planet instability. Alia turned to Astra who frowned.

"I can save it, there's still time, I can save it," Astra said.

Alia figured they were going down this particular rabbit hole. Time to try and get Astra to….well time to try and get her to cooperate.

"Don't let her get you, Astra," Alia said. She turned around one of the greatest generals in the entire galaxy and stared her in the eyes. "Go to your sister's lab….meet her…do what you have to do to get off of the planet. It's going to be three days from now….you can't save it."

"I can save it!" Astra yelled.

Alia sighed. If only there was a way, she would be happy.

"You couldn't," Alia said. "Even if Grace had been allowed to go through with her plan, it would have only bought you a few more years. This planet's fate is to die, so others should live. I don't like it any more than you do, but that's just the way it is."

Astra had sighed. She took one look at the core and accepted Alia's words as truth. They had done so much damage. An attempt to heal the core would be a temporary measure at best. It may buy them a few more years if they were fortunate enough.

"It doesn't have to be that way," Astra said. She resigned herself to Krypton's fate.

Alia thought this was the end. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

"Alia, we have a serious problem," Kara said.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on September 6** **th** **, 2016.**


	97. Chapter 97

**Week Thirty-Five Chapter of the Week Voting Up at the Blog. Please Vote.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter Ninety-Seven: Escape from Krypton Part Three.**

* * *

The security around Alura's lab started to fail which put Kara and her younger self and her mother in quite the nasty little fix to save the very least.

' _Oh problem might be the understatement to end all understatements,'_ Kara thought to herself. _'A better way to describe this is my mother's lab is destroyed, we're up to our neck in Apokolips goons, and the planet is about ready to be destroyed. I'd ask how this day could be any worse, but I know better by now, I really know better by now.'_

Kara could hear the sounds of them trying to break through on the other end of the doors. It was time for Kara to see what she could do, even though there were a lot of dangers. She needed to protect her past self at all costs and make sure Alura found a way to get younger Kara onto the ship.

' _Time to take the kid's gloves off and really smack these bastards around,'_ Kara thought, with a smile on her face. _'Better see what I can really do when they pop up.'_

Claire, Imra, Ayla, and Tinya flashed in front of Kara before the Furies could break in. Kara was glad she could have as much help as possible and was certain Alia would be joining them in due time.

"And here we thought it was over," Claire said, joining Kara. "Clearly, it was our first mistake…"

"Yes, and we're running out of time," Imra said. "I'm afraid to say the entire timeline has been compromised and we're going to…"

Kara could feel the rumbling beneath her feet. None of the crystal towers fell over yet. When they started to fall, it was when Kara knew there were going to be problems which would lead to the demise of her planet.

"It's going to happen, in a couple of days."

The doors broke open and a miniature army of Female Furies stepped in, all of them with angry intentions directed towards the Girl of Steel and her companion.

"Oh, you really think you're so clever, aren't you, Supergirl?" Lashina asked.

Lashina whipped back and attempted to take out the Girl of Steel. Supergirl arched back to avoid the whip and caught it in her hand. The Girl of Steel jumped up and turned Lashina around to force her down onto her knees. Supergirl bounced back up and came down on the back of her adversary's head, stunning her with another crisp attack.

"Oh, I'm clever enough to beat the likes of you," Kara said. She avoided the crack of the whip. "Seriously, Barda might have been the only one smart enough…"

"Don't talk to me about that bitch!" Lashina howled in anger. "I can beat her any day of the week. You'll see, you'll see how much better I am than her…"

Suddenly, a hand pressed on Lashina's shoulder. Lashina turned around and came face to face with Barda herself, who looked none too pleased with the disrespect.

"You want to make a wager on it!" Barda yelled. She turned around and punched Lashina to the ground. The Female Fury crumpled down to the ground. "Unless the rest of you want to end up the same way as the rest of those girls, I suggest you all stand down."

The Furies all looked at Barda and threw their hands up. They all knew their goose had been cooked.

Kara thought there was one member of their group conspicuous by her absence and it was time to correct this.

"Granny, it's time to come out and face the music!" Supergirl yelled.

Supergirl found her stalking around and grabbed Granny. Granny rolled onto the ground and came back up. She resembled a hideous bulldog when staring down Supergirl.

"You stupid little bint, you ruin everything!" Granny yelled. She whipped out the energy staff in an attempt to take down Kara.

"Yes, I've heard that one about a hundred or so times," Kara said. "It never gets old and neither does this."

Supergirl responded with a punch to Granny which jacked her jaw. She swooped in until Barda rushed in to face Granny.

"Finally," Barda said. She hoisted Granny up and smashed her down against the wall. "You don't know how long I've waited for this. You can't even begin to guess how much I've wanted to crush you underneath my foot, and now I can…because I know now you're weak, and I'm stronger. Without us, without the Furies, you're nothing but some old hag who kisses the feet of Darkseid."

"Now, now, let's not be so cross," Granny said. Barda ripped Granny off of the ground and hurled her down. "Please, my dear, be gentle on poor Granny. She never meant to have hurt you!"

Barda hoisted Granny up and reared her fist back. The old woman started to quiver and came close to coming undone with what Barda was about ready to do to her.

"Please show some mercy!" Granny yelled at the top of her lungs. "Please, I beg of you, show some mercy!"

"I'll only show you as much mercy as you ever dared show us," Barda said.

Barda smashed her fist into Granny's face which resulted in the old woman slamming against the wall.

"Let's wrap this up," Barda said, tearing her eyes away from the blood of Granny Goodness flowing to the ground.

* * *

The moment the ship had been destroyed, a lot of the hope Alura had of her daughter getting off of the planet safely had been extinguished. The sounds of battle could be heard from outside. Alura tried not to focus on those sounds of battle, the two sides clashing together on the other side of this wall for pure dominance.

' _I can't focus on that right now.'_

Alura noticed the fearful expression on her daughter's eyes. Having met Kara's future self, Alura could only hazard a guess what challenges awaited her the moment she left Krypton. If she could leave Krypton right now, they had gone for the ship, it was almost like they knew it was here.

' _Time travel, of course, they knew they were coming,'_ Alura thought.

Alura turned towards her daughter who looked shell-shocked. As much as Alura would have liked to appease Kara, tell her everything was going to be fine, she knew better.

' _I'm going to have to make a decision, and I really hope it doesn't blow up in my face for her sake.'_

Kara shifted nervously when her mother placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Kara, this is very important, you need to stay inside my office," Alura said. "It's only for a few minutes, but you should be safe…..I need to see if I can rebuild your ship."

The thirteen-year-old girl thought if anyone could do it, her mother could rebuild the ship with little time. She took a second to draw in a breath and asked the question she dreaded asking.

"Everything will be okay, right?" Kara asked.

Alura wrapped her daughter up in a tight hug and ushered her away from the scene. The lab was not a safe place for anyone when Alura worked. She spent almost six months preparing the ship and now she might not even have six hours to get it up to specifications.

"It will be fine, I just need to get a few spare parts, and….."

Kara slipped inside the office, giving her mother one last hug. Alura kissed her daughter on the forehead and stepped back to do so. Alura collected herself knowing full well if the time travelers failed to contain the Agents of Apokolips on the outside, their goose would be cooked.

' _I really hope this works,'_ Alura thought. Sweat started to roll down her palms and the woman in question drew in a pretty deep and frustrated breath. _'Here it goes.'_

Alura took a long look at the ship and the sad, unfortunate state the ship had been put in. She thought there were times where the ship could be salvaged and if she thought outside the box, she could do so.

' _I don't have much time left,'_ Alura thought. The ground continued to rumble underneath her feet which caused Alura to stand back. _'Actually, I have less time left than I thought…everything is going to end, and there's no way out of here, is there?'_

Alura frowned and grew even more frustrated the longer she viewed the ship.

"Let's see, if I rewire it, I should have enough…no, I can't do it this way," Alura said. "And it will take more than a month to rebuild the drive from scratch….we don't have a month here, do we?"

Alura's gaze dropped to the pieces of the broken crystal on the floor. One of the crystals gave off a strange amount of heat and glowed black. This was a hazard.

' _Well, this is just lying around right here…damn it, one of the crystals is broken,'_ Alura thought. _'It's going to be hard to replace something like this…..'_

Alura picked up the crystal and it started to burn her hand. The hand burned even more and she could feel something start to tug at her navel and pull her away.

The scientist turned around just in time to see her daughter try and open the office door. The white hot energy entering the lab put Kara at risk. Alura could not discard the crystal, it enveloped her in energy and would not let her go.

"Kara, don't…."

"MOTHER!" Kara yelled in a frantic fury from inside of the office. "MOTHER! NO!"

The younger girl tried to push the office door open. She could not get there in time because the energy engulfed Alura and started to suck her away. She had been swallowed by some kind of black hole.

The older version of Kara rushed into the office and stopped just in time to see her mother disappear, yet again. It had not been easier to live through the second time, even though the circumstances had been different.

"She's gone," Kara said, the office door swinging open and she ran to her older self. "I can't believe it, she's all gone…"

"I know," Kara the older said. "She….she….you'll see her….soon….don't give up hope."

"Right, never give up hope," Kara the younger said. "It's all we have, isn't it? Even when everything is lost, there's still hope, I think there's still hope."

Kara the younger buried her head into the shoulder of her older counterpart. The older version of Kara patted her younger version on the back to calm her down.

* * *

Claire had to admit, she was running on fumes right now. The moment she heard the alarm coming from the House of El estate, she ran down. She had a very bad feeling, the same feeling she experienced where she would be sucked back into oblivion.

The moment Claire entered the lab, the bad feeling she had at first multiplied by a good ten times. She noticed her mother face down on the ground. Her white robes stained with blood. A few moments later, she noticed Jor-El down on the ground. Despite the fact the two had a tense relationship, it caused Claire to flash back to the time where she found Jonathan Kent dead in the barn from a heart attack, nothing she could do.

' _No,'_ Claire thought, hearing the sound of a baby crying.

Claire made her way over to face one of the female Furies. The assassin turned towards Claire and a wicked grin came across her face. A blood-stained knife flickered between the fingers of the Female Fury.

"Good," the female Fury said. She stepped away from the broken bodies of the parents and moved to go for the baby. "You're here just in time to watch as I kill your little bitty baby self the….."

Claire did not wait for the woman to finish this sentence. She scrambled across and nailed the Fury in the face. The fury crumpled up. Claire lifted up the Fury and ran her into the wall before hitting some punches.

"The problem with you people with Apokolips is no matter what you still…talk…..TOO MUCH!" Claire yelled, pounding her adversary with punches which caused her to fold against the wall.

The sounds of more rumblings above the ground followed by one of the crystal towers falling. Kara told Claire when the towers started to fall there was not much time.

' _It's time, and there's no one to put younger me on the ship,'_ Claire thought.

Claire watched in shock. She heard screams of panic from the outside. She had no idea what to do at this point in time other than go over and pick herself up and put herself on the ship.

' _This is the end, isn't it?'_ Claire asked. She walked over and scooped up her past self.

Clara started to cry at the unfamiliar woman. Her touch might have been gentle, but she was not the little child's mother.

"It's going to be okay little one," Claire said. "You're going to a better place now."

Clara sensed something was wrong and started to cry her head off. Claire tried to do the best to soothe her infant self when walking over.

' _Thank God the ship is still intact,'_ Clara thought. _'For once, something has gone right, I can't believe it.'_

"Shh, it's going to be fine…trust me," Claire said, walking over towards the small pod. It was hard to believe once upon a time, she had been put on this pod.

The sound of her cousin's voice popping in caused Claire to stop short of the ship.

"Claire, talk to me?" Kara asked.

The pod opened up and Claire wondered, not for the first time, why Jor-El decided to build a pod which could only carry an infant. She had a chance to ask him, the real him, about his reasons again, and that had been taken away.

"Hang on, Kara, I need to put myself on the ship," Claire said. She slipped the younger version of herself onto the ship and started to press buttons. The ship started to fire up. "Good luck...Clara….really, I mean that, given what's about to happen."

Claire watched the pod make its way off of the planet and take the three-year trip. Three years from the child's perspective, she would find her way to Smallville where a kindly couple who could not have children of their own would find her.

And thus, the story of her life began, and Clara shivered at seeing it from the beginning.

"Well, that was weird," Clara said. "I just saw myself off….and….well that was kind of weird."

They really had no time to discuss this, no matter how much they wanted to.

"Krypton is going to be gone within the next hour," Kara said. "If you've left the planet, we don't have much time, and…..if we don't have much time….well we need to figure out what I need to do with younger me."

"Yes," Claire said. "Did Alia get back fine?"

"Yes, I'm present and accounted for," Alia said on the other end of the communication. "We'll be ready to go soon…well, we have to be….just get back. Do you think you have enough energy to super speed it back?"

Claire had just enough left in the tank. The final Fury on the ground bled out from getting rammed into the wall. Given she intended to kill an infant, Claire had no sympathy for the woman's state.

"Just about enough," Claire said.

* * *

Kara could feel the tension. She should have been off of the planet by now. Alia was in the process of looking over the ship and then there was one question which hit Kara really hard.

"So, what happened to Astra?" Kara asked. "I can't believe she…"

"Well, we intended to come back here," Alia said. "Everything happened, and then…..well everything happened….the opening of all of the Boom Tubes has caused the planet's instabilities to heighten."

So, Astra vanished into the night again. The second verse, pretty much the same as the verse. Kara started to shift around, not as much as her younger self.

"Which means we don't have as much time as we thought we did," Kara said.

Alia thought that was an understatement to end all understatements. She took a look at this ship and studied every inch of it. She thought about all of the ways to repair it if she had more time.

' _Well, this isn't happening,'_ Alia thought. _'This certainly isn't happening.'_

"We should find a way to leave, now," Imra said. "The Legion rings are back, which means…..Clara made it to Earth, and inspired the Legion in the future."

The doors opened up and they all tensed up, having been on edge all day. They relaxed, about as much as they could allow themselves to with the planet dying around them.

"Yes, about time something good came from this entire mess," Claire said, returning back. "Yes, she's off and how much time do we have less?"

Kara checked the clock, only to realize it had stopped telling time. One of the towers crashing down onto the Earth and people screaming in terror told Kara all she needed to know about how much time they had left.

"An hour, maybe…..less," Kara said. She looked outside and could see the ground starting to crack. "We have a whole lot less."

Kara turned to Alia. She had never been more desperate, and would have lost her mind.

"Please, please tell me you know of a way to repair the ship and get younger me off of the planet," Kara the older said to Alia.

Alia threw her hands up in frustration and nearly hurled the wrench she used to pry open the ship and look into the guts. She clutched it in her fist, took a deep breath, counted to ten.

"Kara, I have a twelfth level intellect," Alia said. "I can do things in my sleep that most people can't do with their full consciousness. I have the ability to warp time and space with a twitch of my nose…although not without consequences."

Alia would have counted to ten if she had the time. Time ran out so bad they were working against the destruction of Krypton.

"You're asking me to repair the drive of a ship, in less than an hour," Alia said. "The crystals have been damaged….one of them transported Alura off."

"Yes, I'm aware, thanks for reminding me," Kara said.

Alia's expression softened. Kara saw Alura disappear twice now, under different circumstances. She found her in the Phantom Zone, they hoped this particular timeline would be held together.

"I'm sorry, I can't rebuild the drive," Alia said. "We'd have to mine fresh crystals, and…there simply isn't enough time, and going down into the planet's core right now would be slitting our own throats."

"You mean, there's no way I…she can leave," Kara said, heart hammering against her chest.

"No, there are ways," Imra said. "We're going to have to bring her back with us, to the point where we left…"

Kara looked on, frowning. There was a lot about time travel even someone of her intellect did not understand.

"Wouldn't that cause me to disappear into oblivion?" Kara asked. "No offense meant but…..that would create a big paradox."

"Not necessarily," Alia said. "The fact we're still here indicates the alternate timeline theory is in play, and I'd really like to answer it, but we have to get going."

"Kara, we're leaving," Kara said to the younger version.

The younger version of Kara shook even with the reassurance the older one could.

"What happens now?" Kara asked. "What about my mother, my aunt…what about Clara?"

"Clara's on the ship, you'll see her soon enough…..well other than right now," Kara said. "Will there be two of Claire when we return, or will they merge….will I merge….will I….."

"Kara, please, you're giving me a headache," Alia said, trying not to sound too short. "Imra, are the rings ready…"

"Yes, we're heading home," Imra said.

The planet was about ready to crack and Alia held her hand up. Yes, the core was about ready to reach critical. Any moment now, they would be brought to the end of this planet, into the demise of Krypton.

"I just hope we can head home from the present," Ayla said. "A lot has changed."

Barda joined them, just in the nick of time.

"Yes, a lot has changed," Alia said. "Well, it's now or never."

"Yes, let's do this," Kara said.

Imra activated the ring and a portal opened up.

No sooner did they pass, Krypton met it's predetermined and fixed end point.

* * *

' _Home sweet, oh no,'_ Kara thought.

The moment Kara dropped down to Earth, she saw it. The skies were red, the streets of Metropolis were destroyed. She watched as Parademon guards traveled down the streets, looking for any signs of disturbances. There was a billboard which had a picture of Superwoman on it, with a big red X scratched through her.

Kara looked up to the Daily Planet, to see the windows smashed and the globe from the top of the building on the ground.

The sun glowed red and the temperatures burned even hotter.

A jumbotron flickered to life and the face of Amazing Grace appeared.

"Just a reminder, Great Darkseid has declared everyone is to be off of the Metropolis city streets by six in the evening. Anyone who is out one minute later will be sentenced to the prison camps. If you have any concerns or questions, we will be holding a town meeting this weekend where you will have a chance to have your say. And we may take it into consideration. Remember, we're here to make this life the best experience possible. Believe in this city, believe in Darkseid."

Kara turned around and noticed Alia and her younger self coming around the corner.

"I thought you killed her back on Krypton," Kara said.

Alia's gaze looked up at the Jumbotron with thinly veiled disdain. The face of one of the most hated women in the universe.

"I did kill her….fuck, they tricked us," Alia said. "I can't believe it, they tricked us."

A few civilians moved around. They looked zombified and walked past the Parademons who sized them up. Kara almost jumped in, but Alia stopped her.

"Six months, Superwoman and Supergirl were gone for six months," an old woman said, staggering around. "Why can't they save us?"

The old woman staggered around. She hoped one day they would come and kill her. At least now she would be dead, free from this world.

"You better get back home, Madam," a man said. "Ten minutes to curfew….my brother was caught on the street afterward….never heard from him again."

Kara allowed this little piece of information to sink in.

"Six months?" Kara asked. "Where's…where's the rest? Where's the Legion…Barda…Claire…."

Alia took a moment to look around. She knew the moment Darkseid's army came around.

"Come on, we're going to move….there's a secret tunnel no one knows about, just a block down."

Alia lead Kara the younger down ,with Kara the older following. The two girls made their way.

"I thought Earth was supposed to be beautiful," Kara said.

"It is supposed to be beautiful," the older Kara said to her younger counterpart. "Darkseid wrecked it….this is insane. Where are the others?

"I don't know," Alia said. The younger Kara looked at Alia and the older version of Kara, mouth opening wide. "We must have gotten separated."

Alia activated the switch and hoped this would buy them time. Darkseid and his forces had a six month head start.

"I'm sure they'll find us soon," Alia said.

' _I hope.'_

Kara sensed the indecision from Alia's normally confident and assured tone and it scared her.

* * *

 **To Be Continued on September 9** **th** **, 2016.**


	98. Chapter 98

**Chapter Ninety-Eight: Apokolips on Earth Part One.**

* * *

Diana jumped over the top of the fence and kept running. She needed to make it to the compound, it was necessary. So many lives were on the line, Diana could not even begin to account for them all. Everything flashed back to her in a quick flurry the faster Diana ran. She kept pumping her legs in an attempt to get forward.

Everything over the past few months struck Diana with the blunt force of a cannonball to the stomach. She could not believe everything which had happened as of late. It took a while to figure out the madness, and not only figure it out but deal with it, in her own insane way. The Amazon Princess turned around a corner and kept her forward movement.

She made the shift from Wonder Woman to one of the top ten most wanted women in the world very quickly. Apokolips took over quickly. It alarmed Diana how much and how deep their influence ran when they had found a way to take everything over.

Diana sensed the foul breath of these monsters near her.

' _Kara, Clara, and Alia disappeared, and that's when everything started to go to hell,'_ Diana thought.

Diana thought about calling out for Hera, but after months, she came to a conclusion the Greek Gods either abandoned them or had been subverted somehow by Darkseid and his group as well. The thought sickened and chilled Diana both at the same time. She pumped her legs and jumped over the top of the fence one more time.

She reached the door. A warning shot incinerated the ground beneath where the Amazon Princess stood. She turned around and saw a small group of Parademons which had been led by Lashina of the Female Furies.

"It's the end of your road, Princess," Lashina said, a harsh smile spreading over her features. "You're not going to run anymore."

"No, we agree."

Diana charged in for the attack. One of those monsters attempted to grab the Amazon Princess. Diana jumped out of the way of the attack and brought the point of her fist down onto the head of one of the creatures. The crack proved to be music to the ears of the Amazon Princess.

Another Parademon charged Diana. Diana hooked the Parademon around the head and hoisted him up before bringing him down with a huge Muscle Buster type move. One of them swung the staff at Diana. Diana avoided the blunt force jabbing into her stomach and returned fire with a snap kick.

"Step back!" Lashina yelled. "I'll kill her….she's mine!"

Lashina fell into the shadow of Barda, long since after the traitor left. Granny always compared Lashina's efforts to Barda. It sickened her. The woman rushed Diana and tried for a kick to the face. Diana swept the leg out from underneath Lashina.

The Female Fury scrambled back up and tried to attack Diana again. She caught one of the electrified whips and ripped it from Lashina's head. Diana jumped forward and knocked Lashina onto her back with a sickening headbutt.

Lashina fell back, injured from the attack. The remaining Parademons looked down at their leader as if waiting for instructions.

Diana refused to let them grow any kind of brain or form any plan for the attack. The warrior took one of them down with a swift kick to the face. Another one of the Parademons tried to nail Diana. The Amazon avoided the attack and took the creature down. The creature landed face first onto the ground. Diana stepped back from the attack.

The final two rushed Diana. Their brutish force failed to match Diana's skill. Diana hooked one of the creatures and hurled him down, collapsing a fence underneath his wait. The final Parademon rushed Diana. Diana dodged his attack and kicked him down to the ground.

The Amazon Princess smiled. Blood rushed through her body at the thought of a battle well spent. The Amazon stepped back.

"Congratulations, Wonder Woman, you've gotten this far….but this is where you end."

The voice of Amazing Grace taunted her and several human soldiers pointed towards Diana. Diana took a half of a step back.

"You're under the control of Darkseid," Diana said. "I know you're better than this."

"Just following orders, M'am," one of the soldiers said in a Southern Drawl.

The soldiers pointed towards Diana and they started to fire at her. Diana put her bracelets to deflect the bullets. The sheer numbers could overwhelm her.

Another portal cracked open and the waves of energy surrounded them. A dark haired woman dressed in red battle armor dropped from the portal. The soldiers turned their attention towards her.

The woman disabled half of their guns with a swipe of her sword. Those weapons crumbled apart and the woman plowed through them without even taking a breath.

Diana took a step back and had been drawn breathless from this warrior. The moment she stepped out of the shadows, Diana recognized who she had been brought face to face with in an instant, and the face she turned up, resulted in a smile popping up on the face of the Amazon Princess.

"Lady Sif?" Diana asked.

"It is good for us to meet one more time, Princess, although I wish it was under better circumstances," Lady Sif said. "Darkseid has taken over Midgard and we fear he may have designs on the other realms, hence I have been sent here."

Diana smiled, this made sense, and she was glad to have an ally.

"There will be reinforcements coming," Sif said.

* * *

Claire dropped down, having returned from the past a little bit later. And boy, she returned to quite the alarming sight. The entire world threatened to shatter apart at the seams. Claire had no idea how everything could have taken a turn for the worse, other than it did. And they were here, and it was now.

"I can't even think of a worse position to be in," Claire said.

"We'll get to the Fortress, and then we'll see how bad everything has taken a turn for," Alia said.

The three of them made their way outside of the island where the Fortress had been located. Kara frowned, something about the air seemed different.

"Of course, it's different," Alia said as if hearing Kara's thoughts. "We all get what Darkseid's plan is, right? He plans on turning Earth into a colony of Apokolips, with all of the problems which go along with such an arrangement."

Kara figured about as much. They would know more or less what was up the moment they arrived. The Girl of Steel approached the Fortress. Alia and Claire stood back a few seconds later and Claire peered forward.

"Damn," Claire muttered.

Kara had been taken off guard by Claire's anger, and her thoughts had been echoed about tenfold. The Girl of Steel's eyes locked onto the Fortress in time to see the army of Parademons who surrounded the area around the Fortress. They all marched by the Fortress and boxed it in.

The only good thing to come from this entire mess was the Parademons failed to break inside. It would only be a matter of time before they found a way.

Claire gave a smile despite the situation. She thought the Fortress's security protocols held nicely.

"Didn't we kill her?" Claire asked.

Granny Goodness came into their perspective and all three Kryptonians looked at the brutish woman the second she stepped into the shadows. Kara's nose curled and she almost scoffed at this particular woman showing up.

"Don't we wish she was dead," Kara said.

"Gilotina, darling, you don't want to disappoint your dear Granny, do you?" Granny asked. "You want to get the Fortress doors open, don't you?"

"I've tried," the blonde Fury said. "No matter what, it won't budge. This security was designed by Alura In-Ze, Lara Lor-Van, and Alia Dru-Zod….no one who isn't allowed him won't be getting in anytime soon."

"Oh, I see," Granny said. "And here I thought you were the smart one. And here I thought you had the ability to…actually make a difference…I'm sorry to see I was wrong."

Gilotina clutched her hands and took it as a personal insult she had not been able to break through the security in the Fortress of Solitude. She resolved to hit the buttons one more time and try to break through the Fortress.

"Good news, they can't get through," Claire said. "The bad news is, neither can we."

Claire's eyes flashed forward into the Fortress. She thought of a way to get inside, unfortunately, though, any thought she had, flashed to the back of her mind.

"So, please tell me you have an idea?" Kara asked.

"Always me," Alia said. "it's always me, isn't it?"

"Well most of the time, you do have some grand idea to get where we need to be," Kara said.

Alia smiled and she took a long look at the Furies and the Parademons which surrounded the Fortress. They needed to find a way to get inside.

"If you're worried about your younger self, don't worry, she's safe," Alia said. "I put her with someone I trust, and it's in one of the last places Darkseid will look."

The interesting thing was, Darkseid and his minions had no clue Claire, Alia, and Kara returned back to Earth. Alia figured by retaking the Fortress, this little element of surprise would have been ruined.

"Okay, let me see, I think this should do it," Chloe said in Claire's ear.

"Chloe?" Claire asked.

There had been a long pause, and for a second, Claire thought she had been hearing things. A jubilant squee of excitement assaulted her super hearing. Claire cringed at Chloe, no matter how glad she was to hear her voice.

"Claire….you're alive…you made it….you made it back?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, six months too late, apparently," Claire said. She paused and managed to get herself back on track and keep watching the Fortress. "I'm guessing you weren't trying to call us."

"No, not really, at least not on purpose," Chloe said. "I was trying to….well I was trying to access the Fortress….but apparently, I don't need to. Your mother's protocols are holding well, along with Alura's and….Alia's apparently. Please don't tell her, though, because none of us want her head to grow so large, she won't be able to fit it through the door."

' _Much too late for that,'_ Kara thought.

"Parademons and Female Furies are surrounding the Fortress," Claire said. "We're going to need to find a way to get inside….there's something in the Fortress we can use to cut things down."

"Oh, you mean the….not so secret weapon," Chloe said. "If I had to hazard a guess, I'd imagine Darkseid's after it as well."

"Imagine that," Claire said.

* * *

Lois slipped her way outside of the air vent and dropped down to the ground. Lucy already dropped down on the ground next to her. Both sisters wore skintight black catsuits which clung to every curve of their body and made their trip of stealth be perfect. The two Lane sisters looked around and Lucy made her way to a keypad across from them.

"So, you know what you're doing, right?" Lois asked.

"Please," Lucy said, trying not to smile. "Which one of us has military training here?"

Lois took a second to recollect her thoughts. She figured Lucy knew what she was doing.

"Just making sure, if you can't handle it, I've picked a few locks in my day," Lois said. "Including some pretty high tech ones, although most of the time, all it takes is a hairpin and some good old-fashioned elbow grease."

Lucy stepped back with a smile on her face.

"Trust me, Lois, I have this one handled, okay?"

"Just checking up on your, making sure," Lois said. "You can never be too careful."

"Oh, your concern is noted, believe me," Lucy said.

Chloe informed them what they needed to do and both sisters put themselves on the same page so they could jump in and do it. If they disrupted the communications in this particular area, they disrupted the control Darkseid had on people.

' _Shutting up that bitch, Grace, is just an added bonus,'_ Lois thought. _'She sounds like every teacher who pretended to be your friend and treated you like you were five that I ever had.'_

"Chloe, can you dig me up an access code?" Lucy asked. "I'm having a bit more trouble with this one….."

"Sure, I can do that for you, Lucy," Chloe said. "Oh, by the way, I have some good news. Claire, Kara, and Alia found their way back….."

"Late as always," Lois said. "Letting us do all of the heavy lifting as usual."

"They must have found a way to scramble the time coordinates...I mean Darkseid and his minions," Lucy said. "Well, we do need all of the help we can get."

Lucy had no idea how much help they would be deep underneath a red sun. They would really hope they could be there.

"Thankfully, the Fortress is on lockdown, and the three people who can get inside are back," Chloe said. "There's just one problem…."

"It's still surrounded," Lois said. "You have to give Granny points for trying, even if she's a disaster to listen to."

"Access code, please, Chloe," Lucy said with a bite down on her lips in frustration.

"Right, keep your skirt on," Chloe said, trying to lighten the mood a little bit. She paused and hummed for a couple of minutes. "Well, this could be a problem."

"What now?" Lucy asked.

Lois turned around to notice the guard having roused from his eternal slumber. The older Lane sister thought as quick as she could, removing the nightstick from his belt. She brought the police baton down across the face of the man and caused him to crumple down without another thought.

"Well, that was simple enough," Lois said. "What's not simple as we haven't found a way inside?"

"Nor will you."

Lois and Lucy took a second to turn around and look at the group of figures who turned up. Lucy removed her sidearm and took a swift shot at anything which moved.

"Are you just some kind of trouble magnet?" Lucy asked. "Wait, we don't have time for your snappy retorts….."

Lois dodged the Parademon's attempt to take her head off. The dark haired woman avoided the attack when the fist slammed into the wall.

"Well, I don't start looking for trouble….."

Lois had no time for any snappy retorts given the Parademons making an honest attempt to cave her head in. The reporter avoided the attack and jumped up. She avoided the staff jabbing into her. The dark haired woman avoided the attack with swift precision. The electrified staff almost slammed into the wall against her.

"Yeah, we know," Lucy said. "It's one of your more endearing qualities."

"This is as far as you go!" one of the Furies said. She brandished a knife and tried to stab Lucy.

Lucy dodged the knife and nailed the skilled warrior with a leaping kick to the side of the head. People tended to underestimate her and thought she was just another pretty face, even if this could not be further from the truth.

"You know, this isn't going to work!" Lucy yelled.

"What them killing us?" Lois asked. "I don't know Lucy, it seems to be working pretty well on my end."

Lucy responded with a sigh and tried to figure out where to go next. One of the Furies rushed her with everything she had.

A figure flew through the window and nailed the Fury with a punch to the face. Faora dropped down to the ground and one of the Furies rushed her.

Faora grabbed the Fury around the throat and plowed her against the wall. The body armor around her fired up and Faora grabbed one of Granny's chosen elite by the head. She put enough pressure on the woman to render her unconscious.

"I suggest you shield your ears," Faora said.

Lucy and Lois understood why the second a grenade had been brought out. The grenade released a Canary Cry sonic pulse which caused them to back up.

"Well, I had my heart set on retaking control of my Watchtower," Chloe said. "Well, if you can't shut down Grace, there's always Plan B."

"Oh, Plan B…that has a lot of collateral damage, doesn't it?" Lois asked.

* * *

Claire knew the Fortress like the back of her hand and also knew all of the secret ways in. She found a way which the Furies had not found. Kara followed her inside the back door, where Alura waited inside of the Fortress.

"I knew you were coming, so I kept the back door open for you," Alura said.

"What if they would have found it before us?" Kara asked.

Alura's smile made Kara wonder what kind of teeth she added to the Fortress.

"Being on Lockdown for six months allowed me to be creative, at least to an extent," Alura said. "We know what would happen if someone took control of the Fortress."

"Which is why this cannot be allowed to happen, especially since they already took control of the Watchtower," Lara said. "The League had been scattered….and most of them are imprisoned, with only a few being out and about."

"Why would Darkseid want to imprison them, and not kill them?" Claire asked.

The answer struck Kara like a bolt to the stomach. She did not want to acknowledge it, but it was completely true.

"He wishes to crush all of the hopes of every single person on Earth," Kara said. She brushed a few strands of hair away from her eyes. "And by crushing the hope of all of our heroes, he hopes to….well that's what he hopes to do."

Kara tried not to break down.

"We are the beacons the worlds need now," Kara said. "And we're going to start by taking back our city, and taking out Darkseid. He can't succeed."

Kara's determination grew stronger and the second Claire locked her eyes onto Kara's, she could feel the same determination threaten to overwhelm her and spill into her.

"He won't succeed."

Those words tipped Claire over the top. She reached out and placed a hand on her cousin's shoulder and smiled.

"No, she wouldn't," Claire said with a smile.

The Fortress started to flash red around them. Claire jumped up at the red flashing and braced herself for the battle. Alura looked over her shoulder and punched up something on the screen.

"It's not the Fortress which is being breached," Alura said. A frown crossed the other side of her face. "They're….they're going away…"

Claire did not know what to make of this particular turn of events. Something about this reeked of something pretty nasty. She turned towards Kara.

"I'm guessing there are other reasons," Claire said. "Alia didn't find a way to drive them away, did she?"

"Actually, I'm not sure if the Fortress is the target anymore," Lara said. "There's some kind of anomaly in the skies above Metropolis…..I can try and lock onto the satellites…..I'm not sure how much of a picture I can get."

"Only if you think it's safe to do so," Kara said.

Kara's stomach stirred and another frustrated feeling hit the point of it. The Girl of Steel had no idea what to make of this entire mess, other than the fact she was certain there were no problems. Her neck arched back a few seconds later.

"I'm guessing this isn't good," Kara said.

"No, it's not good," Alura said. "It's not good at all."

The picture of a giant machine hovered over Metropolis. A large drill-like object was in the middle and it touched down in the middle of Metropolis Square.

"We're going to have to activate it, Clara," Kara said.

Claire looked up and noticed several ships hovering.

"Superwoman, I know you can hear this frequency," Grace said. "So listen and listen to me carefully….we knew you would return around this time, six months from now. We hoped for you to meet your demise on Krypton."

"The feeling is mutual, you arrogant hag," Kara said.

Claire lifted a hand and Kara refused to speak. The Girl of Steel's frown dipped.

"Your adopted hometown is so vulnerable, why some of the people still believe Superwoman will save the day," Grace said. "Soon, we will have what we want and Earth will be decimated….my master is close to finding it…why you can say he is almost finished calculating the equation."

"Clara, give me the word, and I'll do it," Lara said. Her jaw remained set and firm.

Claire took a second to consider this. She had Pandora's Box at the end of the table. What could she do could bust it open?

"Wait a moment," Claire said.

A humming echoed over the top of their heads. She realized there was no more time to wait.

"Do it now."

A bright light shot from the time of the Fortress. The light traveled and sent the nano-bots into Darkseid's ships, devouring them from the inside out, and continued their path to the weapons.

Claire hated to release a weapon which had the ability to devour technology because if they could not recall it, Earth would be doomed. With Darkseid present, Earth had already reached the final state.

* * *

Granny Goodness broke into a devious grin. They had departed from the Fortress some time ago. While trying to break into it would be a boon to Darkseid and his plans, should the opportunity have passed, there would be other options to take.

"My children, gather around your dear Granny," Granny said. "Let it be known, tonight is the night."

They all gasped in excitement. Granny stepped in front of the machine and a large Boom Tube opened. The followers of Darkseid all awaited this moment.

"I can't believe it's finally here," Desaad said with glee. "The master returns to his full glory, and he will prove his loss at the hands of Superwoman was nothing…"

The equipment Desaad said started to break apart when something flew over the edge of Metropolis. A bright light struck the edge of the equipment.

"SCATTER!"

One declared word from Granny Goodness caused the followers of Darkseid to scramble into opposite directions. They watched the second the bright light hit the machine and blew it to smithereens. Granny almost threw herself to the ground and started to break down.

"NO, NO, NO! "Granny yelled. She reared her head back. "Stupid little monkeys, they ruin everything."

"Get some dignity."

Granny turned herself around and excitement hit them all. Could it be? The dark figure on the other end of the portal gained a bit more prominence when stepping through? Granny backed off and bent down to prepare to worship the man who stepped through the portal.

"My children, he has returned!" Granny yelled. She pumped her hand into the air for a second before recalling it. "He is back….he has returned….oh….mercy…the Great Darkseid has returned, and now he will bring forth vengeance upon all who…"

"Enough."

This one particular word crackled through the air. Darkseid stepped from the shadows with an imposing stance over all of them. They all looked upon Darkseid, the man's skin carved out of granite and those red eyes peering down at them. The man surveyed the scene.

"I see you have prepared for my return, but you did not account for the fact they would have a fail safe," Darkseid said. "I thought I told you to have control of Superwoman's Fortress of Solitude."

"Please, great one…"

"I will hear nothing of your sniveling," Darkseid said. "Despite my disappointment in you not being able to safeguard the machine, I'm pleased to be back. And now….it begins, the end."

All dropped to their knees and hailed Great Darkseid.

* * *

 **To Be Continued September 13** **th** **, 2016.**


	99. Chapter 99

**Chapter Ninety-Nine: Apokolips On Earth Part Two.**

* * *

"Okay, I've got good news, bad news, and news….well we're just going to have to wait to see how this plays out before we figure out how good or bad the news is," Chloe said after one breath. "The good news is…..Lucy and Lois managed to come through with me, and I managed to both get back my Watchtower and also shut up Amazing Grace in the process. So yes, go me, I rule."

Chloe tried not to fist pump in the air.

"But, the bad news is, our big bad Darkseid is back, and while one of his drill machines have been busted, there are still several others," Chloe said. "And as for the news which is simply a whole lot of whatever, I've managed to get control of the Watchtower and I'm beginning to access the protocols for my secret weapon….well my other secret weapon….and believe me, I'm glad the encryption is still working. Because if it didn't work, all of us would really have been screwed about six ways from Sunday, maybe more, if you know what I mean."

Chloe took a long breath and managed to recover from her own excitement.

"So, did the two of you get in?"

Diana made her way past the main chambers. One of the guards rushed her. The Amazon dodged the man's beefy fist and put him up against the wall with a series of rapid-fire punches. Each of these punches stunned the man in question and allowed Diana to step back.

Another one of the guards charged her. Sif jumped in and took the guard out. The man's arm snapped back.

"Yes, we're in, although the state pretty much everyone is in…we don't know," Diana said. "We'll find out in about five seconds…."

Diana responded with a swift uppercut to the head of one of them. The Female Fury stood at the end, withdrawing a sword. The Amazon Princess opened her hand and pointed it towards the Fury, giving her the International sign for "just bring it."

The warrior brought it alright. She charged Diana. Diana dodged the sword before it penetrated her flesh. The Amazon returned fire with a series of rapid-fire punches and grabbed the woman by the shoulder. The Fury dropped down to the ground.

"More will be on the way," Sif said.

She caught one of the large Parademons with a snap kick and then landed on top of him. The warrior maiden stepped back, a crafty smile entering her face from the thrill of the hunt.

True to Sif's words, a trio of Female Furies dropped down. One of the Furies turned on the other two, using the knife to stab them. The distraction allowed Diana to roll through and kick one of the Furies against the wall.

Diana dodged a stab with the energy staff. She caught the staff and turned around, punching the lights out of one of her opponents.

"I wondered when you would be around."

The Fury dropped the hood to reveal the face of one Helena Wayne. Diana looked at her.

"Yes, I know, you thought I was dead," Helena said without missing a beat. "And that was one of the worst mistakes you could have made."

Helena threw a grenade in the air and it broke open, sending a blinding gas in the general direction of these monsters. The woman rushed in and nailed her adversary in the chest with a huge roundhouse punch, dropping him to the ground.

"I can see as much," Diana said.

"We'll need to head this way."

The doors opened and several downed members had been hooked to the wall with chains. Diana reached the cell and tried to pull the bars open.

"Damn it, they've been reinforced," Diana said.

"Here," Helena said, swiping the key card.

The door opened up and Shayera stumbled out of the cell.

"Once I get my hands on Amazing Grace, there won't be enough of her left to bury," Shayera said.

"Then you might need this," Helena said, sliding the mace into Shayera's hands. "Better."

Shayera responded with a smile as the doors opened. The Flash staggered out, and Helena deprogrammed the control collar.

"Thanks, Helena," Iris said. She took a moment to stand on her feet. "Not running for months, it's going to be a bitch to get back to."

"Didn't you tell me it was like riding a bike?" Whitney asked. "A super-powered bike, where you kept slipping off of granted, but a bike never the less."

Dinah stepped out, and she looked fairly ragged. She shook her head.

"That was awful, I wonder why he didn't want to kill us," Dinah said. Many theories entered her mind, some of them even more alarming than the last theory. "Unless he wanted to keep you alive to…"

"Break your spirits, yes," Diana said.

"Should have known you would have been crafty enough to escape trouble," Dinah said. She cleared her throat before shaking her hand.

Artemis reclaimed her bow and arrow. She had been down and out for the past six months. The League fell quickly, it was almost embarrassing. It was almost as if Darkseid's forces had practiced this time and time again.

It was almost as if he practiced this because he did practice this, at least she figured as much. Artemis shook her head to clear the cobwebs.

"And suddenly, everyone is gone," Artemis said. "You know, I'm not complaining, but you would think there would be more resistance to a jailbreak of some of Earth's greatest heroes."

"Well, there's a reason why they're gone, "Diana said. "Superwoman is back."

* * *

Superwoman tore down the streets of Metropolis, a sickening feeling enveloping the pit of her stomach when she brought up speed. The hometown she loved, well almost as much as Smallville, fallen from its heights. The crushed Daily Planet globe on the ground told her all she needed to know about what happened to her beloved city.

Superwoman continued to fly at an intense speed and the bad feelings gave way to a really bad sight which could chill even the most powerful woman to her bones. Superwoman dropped down and landed on the ground. She noticed the followers of Apokolips all on their knees and bowing before Darkseid.

"No," Superwoman said. "No, it can't be….."

"It can be," Darkseid said. His followers all stirred until they had been silenced by one stare from Darkseid. "All of you will stand down and allow me to do what needs to be done."

Those followers stepped back and allowed Darkseid to step into the picture. He looked up and addressed Superwoman who dropped down.

"Even underneath the red sun, you still have the prominence of power," Darkseid said. "It appears you are either running off of reserves, or you found a way inside the Fortress my followers have failed to breach."

Granny in particular wilted underneath the look of Darkseid. Under most normal circumstances, Superwoman would have experienced joy due to the fact Granny had been knocked down a peg or two. This time, no joy to be had when coming face to face with Darkseid.

Darkseid turned his attention away from the failure of his minions to properly address the Woman of Steel who hovered before him.

"Do you recall the first time we met?" Darkseid said. "I offered you a chance to rule beside me. We could be strong, we could rule the world."

Superwoman folded her arms underneath her chest and looked back at Darkseid. She recalled this, even though she would not dignify this comment with an answer. The Woman of Steel prepared for anything Darkseid would throw at her.

"Instead of being my queen, you will become my pawn," Darkseid said. "And all pawns are meant to be crushed….."

Superwoman shot forward and nailed Darkseid with the full and blunt force of a vicious punch. Darkseid hurled back and landed onto the ground. The Master of Apokolips rolled over and climbed up to his feet.

"I'm not going to allow you to take Earth!" Superwoman yelled.

Superwoman jumped into the air and tried to nail Darkseid with a punch. Darkseid blocked her hand and hurled back Superwoman with the strength of a god. She flipped over and landed onto the ground. Darkseid fired the eyes up and blasted Superwoman in the chest.

"You are not as strong as you had been in the past," Darkseid said. "And I'm more powerful than I ever had been. How could you ever have any hope of defeating me?"

"I have hope, I can defeat you," Superwoman said.

She withdrew a knife and stabbed Darkseid. The agony caused even Darkseid to sear back and Superwoman grabbed him around the shoulder. The woman of Steel hurled Darkseid back several city blocks and forced him to crash through several open windows.

Darkseid dropped down onto the ground and Superwoman reared back her fist. She nailed Darkseid with a huge punch to the face.

"I'm sorry," Superwoman said, not sounding too sorry at all. "What was that about me not being strong enough to defeat you?"

Darkseid reached down and picked up the detached Daily Planet Globe from the ground. The Globe hurled at Superwoman and the Woman of Steel dodged the globe from smashing onto the ground. Superwoman rolled over, breathing in response.

"You are pathetic, get up and face me," Darkseid said. "Unless you enjoy being on your knees before me, weak and defeated."

Superwoman popped Darkseid in the face with an uppercut. The sound of the punch echoed and dropped Darkseid down to the ground. Darkseid staggered to a standing position and Superwoman jumped high into the sky before bringing the point of her boot down onto Darkseid's head with a violent Curb-Stomp like motion.

Darkseid's fingers started to twitch and his minions closed ranks in an attempt to protect him from the wrath of Superwoman.

"No, stand back," Darkseid said. "This is not your fight, I demand you to stand back."

"You better listen to your master," Superwoman said. She inhaled and exhaled sending a glacial amount of super breath.

Alia's training taught Claire to do more with fewer powers, and even with the pick me up she received at the Fortress, Claire ran on fumes. She could see Darkseid push his way through the storm and grab her.

"I'll break you!" Darkseid yelled, throwing Superwoman down onto the ground.

Superwoman smashed down onto the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of her. Most people would have stayed down with Darkseid stalking them in such a menacing way. Darkseid stepped forward and stood on top of Superwoman, pinning her down to the ground.

"You were saying something about having hope?"

* * *

Chloe took a moment to realize how calculated of a risk this was. She was up here alone, trying to deal with something.

"Your plan is kind of mad when it boils down to it," Lois said. "I'm sure you know this, we are related by blood, and I have no idea why we're having this conversation with each other if you really think you're going to….well never mind."

Lois took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. Mad plan this was, she figured this may be the only way for them to stop it.

"Superwoman caught them with the weapon, they won't have another shot from the Fortress," Chloe said. "I'm going to see what I can do from my end."

"Did I mention your plan was kind of mad?" Lois asked. "And by kind of mad….."

"Yes, Lois, you did mention her plan was mad and every single another word in the dictionary you can think of which resembles mad," Lucy said. "What do we need to do?"

"Just hit the signal relay when I tell you," Chloe said. "And let me embrace my inner Brainiac."

Chloe ignored the words from both her cousins and the thoughts this could go wrong. So much could go wrong with this. No one would dare ask what could really go wrong because the thought was pretty much everything.

"The League is in position," Diana said. "And many of them are raring for a fight."

"Well, I would have been as well if I had been locked up for about six months," Chloe said. "Okay….this is going to work, this has to work because if it doesn't work….."

Chloe managed to access the view screens. Metropolis had been reduced to a pile of cinders and rubble, and she really hoped this was not from the fight between Superwoman and Darkseid.

' _Claire, you really need to learn to clean up your messes,'_ Chloe thought. She punched up more of the satellites and images flashed over Earth. _'Yes, we have visual, and it looks like I'm going to pull this one off. I can't believe I'm going to pull this one off, but I really am going to pull this one off.'_

Chloe took a moment to catch her breath. It would be unwise to get too lost in the madness of her own success and there was plenty to be happy about here. The skilled hacker smiled and prepared to set up her little drone army buried underneath a cornfield in Smallville.

' _Really the last place on Earth anyone would think to look for an evil army,'_ Chloe said. _'Although given the number of farmers who get picked up by aliens, allegedly, it would be one of the first places people should think to look.'_

No time to wrap her head around the backward logic. Chloe deployed the army of drones and they sought out and destroyed all of Darkseid's bases.

"Okay, step one is complete," Chloe said. She stopped short of rubbing her hands together. "Now it's time to move onto step two…and get ready to catch any Civilians who might get caught up."

"So this is the really insane part, isn't it?" Barbara asked.

"Yes, this is the really insane part," Chloe said. "And if I would be honest, I'm really glad at having a chance to hear your voice again."

Chloe started to dial a number and locked onto one of the Boom Tubes they set up.

"Sorry, you're heading back to Apokolips," Chloe said. "Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars!"

She tapped her hand on the button and activated the Boom Tube. Chloe tipped back in the chair and waited for it to all pass. She grew serious.

' _And you know, either I'm going to send all of Darkseid's merry minions back, or I'm going to rip Earth apart, and it's going to be sent to Apokolips in pieces,'_ Chloe thought. _'Oh well, in for a penny…..'_

Chloe watched as the League rushed in. Several of Darkseid's minions had been sucked into the portals. Some of them screamed in blood-curdling agony when they had been ripped to shreds, passing through the portal. Chloe sensed the frustration on their parts, and if she would be perfectly honest, she experienced a small twinge of guilt for what she caused.

' _Then again, there goes Grace, and damn if I feel bad she got ripped to bits,'_ Chloe thought.

The portal's sealed up, and Chloe waited for the good word and some good news. She watched something pop up on the screen and a rather obvious frown crossed over her face.

' _Well, and then there was one,'_ Chloe thought. _'And it's a big one….'_

"And this is where I take over," Alia said. "Don't worry, I have a plan."

Those six words caused Chloe to blink and she had more than a bad feeling about this. The feeling dropped a stone of despair down into the pit of her stomach and brought the last thing she ate up until the area of her throat.

* * *

"I'm pretty certain this will work," Alia said.

"Because if it doesn't, the Earth will meet certain and total annihilation," Kara said.

"How did you ever guess?" Alia asked.

"We've been through this about three or four times, your plans always have an all or nothing vibe to them," Kara said.

"Hey, this requires precise timing and speed…and you are the fastest one of us," Alia said. "All you have to do is lure Darkseid into the trap and…..well I'll take care of the rest."

Kara went into full Supergirl mode. She could see most of the minions had been taken out.

"For the record, you can thank me later," Chloe said.

"If this plan works, there will be no need for us to thank you because you won't remember what happened," Alia said.

A long beat followed when Chloe's mind had been rattled, and not for the first time, from what Alia had said.

"Wait, whoa, come in again, seriously?" Chloe asked. She took a moment to collect her thoughts and sure enough, they had been really confused.

"Don't worry about it, Chloe," Kara said. "She just likes mind fucking people."

Kara peered down and her jaw set the moment Superwoman slammed onto the ground. Darkseid stood over the top of the woman.

"What was that about hope?"

Superwoman rolled over, giving a bloody smile at Darkseid. Her face twisted into an even more prominent smile when she started up.

"Look up in the sky," Superwoman said. "Go ahead, and look, and see your demise."

Darkseid turned around and looked forward. All he noticed up in the sky was Supergirl. Supergirl dove down without a word and nailed Darkseid in the face with a glancing punch. Darkseid turned around and Supergirl bounced up against him with more punches.

"You can't catch me, Darkseid!" Supergirl yelled. "No matter what you've done to the people of Earth, you can't crush them, and you most certainly can't crush me."

Darkseid's minions tried and even at her darkest hour, Supergirl almost slipped over the side. She remembered something important.

"It doesn't matter, "Darkseid said. "Earth's fate is sealed…"

Supergirl used the hottest heat vision blast possible. Darkseid staggered back with a howl of agony and those red eyes glowed at her.

"And so has yours!"

Darkseid whirled around and went for the Girl of Steel. He fired an Omega Strike at the Girl of Steel and she bolted away from him.

"You can run, but you can't hide!" Darkseid yelled. "So go ahead, flee, flee, it will be too late for it to do any good for you."

Kara circled the planet at least once and came around. The Omega Beam flew back around and she dodged the beam. It caught Darkseid in the back and caused his skin to burn off.

Darkseid swung around with an agonizing groan filling his body. The Girl of Steel dropped down to the ground and her breathing escalated even further. Darkseid looked towards her and Supergirl gave a cheeky little wave before bouncing into Darkseid.

The Girl of Steel drilled a series of rapid-fire punches into Darkseid's chest. Darkseid staggered back from Supergirl's attacks. Each punch nailed him and he barely had any time to register the punch.

"I thought you were going to catch me!" Supergirl yelled, flipping her hair over her shoulder and sticking her tongue out at Darkseid.

"May has been a little much," Alia said. "Fly, Kara, FLY, KARA!"

Kara jolted in the other direction and Darkseid's Omega Beams went after her again. Darkseid used the Omega Beams as a force to propel himself.

"You can't run forever, Supergirl!"

"Oh, yes, I can," Supergirl said.

"Fly faster, FASTER!" Alia yelled. "Really push it to your limits...SPEED, SUPERGIRL, SPEED!"

Supergirl shot even faster, pushing the boundaries of what she thought was possible. The Girl of Steel circled around and could see everything unraveling around her. It felt as if she flew so fast time was spinning backward.

"Good, keep it up, keep it up!" Alia yelled.

The Girl of Steel shot after herself. She could see several windows opening up around her. The friction of the super speed resulted in her costume sizzling underneath her body. Kara kept flying even further.

"Time is going to break if I go any faster!" Supergirl yelled.

' _Or I am.'_

"Just keep flying, faster, faster, if you slow down, time will break!" Alia yelled. "Go on Kara, do it, you can do it….faster…faster…FASTER!"

The voice had become slower, and more strangled in her ear. A glowing purple wall manifested in front of her.

"Don't stop for the wall, just keep flying!" Alia yelled. "Keep flying, and hit the wall."

Supergirl wondered about this particular insanity but really had no choice. Her body shot forward so quickly she could not even consider it. She could see Darkseid's imagine in the wall, body manifested with Omega energy when following her in this particular direction.

' _Well, this might suck.'_

Supergirl shot through the wall and kept flying past it. Darkseid shot past it and there was a loud explosion. The Girl of Steel did not slow down at all. She kept pushing herself and there was a loud explosion.

Darkseid hurled over the edge of time and a purple vortex opened up, consuming the Apokolips ruler. Kara flew through the glowing white window and a white explosion surrounded her the second she slipped through the window.

* * *

Kara Zor-El dropped to her knees on top of a carpeted floor. Dare she open her eyes? The Girl of Steel's eyes flashed open.

"Welcome to Metropolis, circa six months ago."

Kara could see the shining metropolis of….Metropolis and a smile crossed her face. She turned around and saw Alia standing in the office beside her.

"So, everything is like it was," Kara said. "Nothing happened….none of this regarding Darkseid, none of it happened."

"Well, in a sense, it happened, but….it's complicated," Alia said. "Time is like a computer….if you know how to manipulate it, there are restore points you can use. And you loaded the restore point up until six months ago….although there were some changes which had been retained."

A little bit of anxiety filled Kara, to be honest. What kind of changes?

"Well, Darkseid's minions have been sent back home," Alia said. "I think we both can agree it's a chance we do with. There's been no, Grace, no Granny and no…."

"No, Godfrey, and no Darkseid, it….hasn't happened," Kara said. "We didn't go back to Krypton."

"We did," Alia said. "See, time travel is not without its insane paradoxes where you can barely have a chance to wrap your head around them."

Kara experienced the early onset of a headache coming on. Alia smiled.

"We brought your younger self to this time period and….don't worry," Alia said. "As I told you back when the Earth was in danger, she's in a perfectly safe place. She's with someone I would trust with my sister."

Kara did not know what to say. This particular word sounded so unsettling coming from Alia. She could not put her finger on why it just did.

"So, this entire mess, it was just…."

"It's over," Alia said. "I could explain it to you, but…"

Kara leaned forward and grabbed Alia into an embrace. The two girls met forward into a passionate kiss. Alia could not believe this happened, and it happened without any kind of lust fueled frustration this time. This was the first genuine kiss the two had ever shared.

"Sorry," Kara said, the moment she pulled away. "I had gotten caught up in the moment, and it's….well, I didn't mean to….."

Alia pressed her finger on Kara's lips to silence her.

"Everything I've done has been out of love for you," Alia said. "Even if I didn't go along the best way, my heart….was in the right place…"

"Shut up, while we're having a moment," Kara said, kissing the hell out of Alia one more time.

Alia wrapped her arms around Kara and teleported them to the bedroom. Given what happened, her office wasn't exactly the best place for such an encounter.

A more intimate setting was needed.

* * *

 **To Be Concluded on September 16** **th** **, 2016.**


	100. Chapter 100

**Chapter One Hundred: Looking Towards the Future.**

* * *

Supergirl turned back the hands of time to the point after Kang had got banished back into the end of the time, but before Darkseid and his forces had returned to Krypton. Knocking Darkseid off of the edge of time prevented him from happening.

' _Like something out of a comic book,'_ Kara thought. _'It's like it never happened.'_

Kara sensed from the people of Metropolis no small amount of relief. Deep down, many of them thought they averted a huge crisis which would have caused problems with all of them. If only they knew how close they had been to suffering some huge problem.

' _And hopefully, they'll never know it again.'_

Supergirl flew around the city block where the normal people of Metropolis had been helping out. The Girl of Steel dropped down to help with the construction effort.

"How is everyone doing today?" she asked.

"We're doing fine Supergirl!" they all yelled.

Smiles spread all about the face of these fine people of Metropolis and Kara could not help, but smile. Little did they know, there was some darkness which they avoided. And in the end, Kara reminded herself there was one person who helped saved them.

Not she wanted to give herself too much credit, although she was going to give herself enough credit for holding the chimney up so they could put it into place. Everyone cheered when the Girl of Steel stepped back. This particular attitude directed towards Supergirl contrasted towards the attitude they exhibited to her after Godfrey's mudslinging campaign.

"So, you're pretty happy."

Supergirl smiled and saw Claire, as Claire Kent, a normal citizen of Metropolis, helping out. The two of them walked forward and met in the middle, shaking hands.

"Just doing what we all can help rebuild Metropolis to the best it can be, citizen," Kara said. "It's nice to see you out here on this fine day."

Claire almost cracked, she would give Kara about this much. When they met one or another with one in their civilian identities and another in their superheroine identity, it was an unofficial agreement to see if the other would crack. It would do a good job to keep both sides on their toes and if there was one thing Kara liked to do, it kept Claire on her toes.

"Well, we're doing a good job," Claire said. "We should all thank someone like you for doing their part, thus proving…"

"I'm not sure if I deserve anymore thanks than you or anyone else in this city," Kara said. "We are all doing our parts to the people of Metropolis…and as long as we stand tall, Metropolis will be here forever."

Did it sound cheesy? Likely. Was it corny? You better believe it. Was it a tad bit cliché? Kara suspected there was a pretty good chance it was. Was it true? Kara would fight anyone to the death who claimed such a sentiment was false. She noticed Lois and Lucy out in the thick of things, having patched up their relationship, at least as much as they would.

Kara knew there would be an undercurrent of sisterly rivalry, it just happened. Look at her and Alia, even though their relationship was even more complex than most.

"And I'm back on the air, and believe me I have many things to say since I've been gone," Leslie Willis said in a slightly more soft spoken voice. "Where I've been and what I've been through has given me a unique perspective. I've said some things which ruffled a lot of feathers, and I'm going to say some more things which are going to ruffle even more feathers. If I was tried for being opinionated, you'd have to send me to the chair."

Kara's lips cracked into a nice little smile. Same old Livewire, she always had this spark, no pun intended.

"Regardless, the last time I was on the air, I did say some things about Supergirl which was out of line," Livewire said. "After, what happened to me, I realize how much pressure she must be under and the fact she thrives on it, proves the type of person she is. While I'm not about to let her off of the hook too easily, I'll be the first to admit, there are some points where I'm wrong about her, and….well keep on fighting the good fight, Supergirl."

Kara smiled.

"But if you do anything wrong, you better believe I'll let you know about it first…and now the greatest hits of today, right after this commercial break!"

Some people rarely missed a beat and Leslie Willis stood at the top of the charts, no pun intended.

* * *

"Well, I'll admit, I'm not sure what happened," Chloe said. "I think at this point, we can all agree we weren't meant to know what happened out there."

The various members of the Justice League murmured. Kara stepped up to join them.

"You might get vibes of being the world which had been taken over by Darkseid," Kara said. "I reset the world…"

"Oh, I've been there," Iris said.

Iris remembered the first time she ran so fast she ended up back in time. It would not be anything she would ever forget anytime soon.

"Yes, I recall," Kara said, smiling in response. "So, anyway, I went back in time and reversed it…it wasn't easy…"

"Is it one of those things where if you made a miscalculation, the Earth would go boom?" Whitney asked.

"Not just Earth," Kara said. "Yes, it was one of those things."

"Which meant this was an Alia plan," Claire said. Kara responded with a raise of her eyebrow. "She's always in for the all or nothing plans….even you can't deny that."

Kara supposed she couldn't deny it. Regardless of the fact of whether or not she could deny it, though, there were a couple of things left to do.

"We searched high and low, but no signs of Darkseid or any of his minions," Diana said. "What you've done worked, and it's worked well."

Kara really wished she could take a deep breath and that would be the end of that. She knew better and judging by the looks on the faces of the various League members, they did as well.

"It's just the calm," Helena said.

Everyone agreed with Helena's assessment. Chloe walked over and put up the map for the overlay of the Earth. Everyone looked at it and could come to some kind of agreement. This kind of calm unsettled even the most hardened of individuals.

"Yes, it's the calm," Kara agreed. "The only question is what is going to happen now we're here."

"Well whatever it is, we're going to be there, and we're going to stop it," Claire said.

Kara smiled and rolled her eyes, although in a mostly good-natured way. She figured her cousin would give a speech in a time of crisis and this would be one of those times where to give a speech. The Girl of Steel opened her hand and signaled for Claire to continue.

"Remember the principles the Justice League has been found on," Claire said. "It shouldn't revolve around one villain, there are multiple threats around the world."

The various members of the Justice League smiled and nodded. Claire stood to her feet and addressed them all.

Chloe smiled, Claire really had come a long way with her inspirational speechmaking. If someone told them Claire would be the master of inspirational speeches when they were in high school, Chloe would check to see if this person's head had been screwed on just right.

"We've undergone some hard times, we've lost some great friends," Claire said. "We bounced back, and I think each and every one of us is strong enough to endure anything."

Claire recalled every single moment of the hell on Earth before Kara changed things. She had a strong hunch the only people who remembered it was those who went back in time.

"Yes," Barda said. "Even if Darkseid is done, it doesn't mean our life is over."

Barda realized how close they were to meeting their utter destruction. She was unaware how much any of them sensed it, but Darkseid drew ever so close to holding onto the Anti-Life Equation. It tipped the scales of power forward every passing second of his life.

"Yes, our time in the League is just beginning," Claire said. "We're going to experience even greater challenges now, but we're going to stand up and face them. We are the Justice League, and we are united. We stand stronger together."

Kara appreciated these words from Claire, even if no one else had the meeting.

* * *

The moment Kara left the Watchtower, she ran into Imra. Imra smiled when looking at the Girl of Steel.

"So, we saved time," Imra said. "I apologize for abruptly running out…the nature of traveling both through time and across the planets could be very imprecise."

Kara waved off of the statement and flashed a smile towards the leader of the Legion.

"It's fine," Kara said. "I'm just glad you didn't get wiped out of time."

"Yes," Imra said. "And given the stunt you pulled, I'm glad you didn't do the same."

Kara smiled, she had pulled some stunts as Supergirl in her day which would have caused the demise of many normal people. She would have liked to think something drove her to do these mad things if she had to admit so herself.

"Yes, believe me, we're in agreement about that," Kara said, almost breaking into a soft little smile. "Seriously, though, I'm really glad the Legion made it back and…..everything is in one piece."

"The Superwoman museum is right where we left it," Imra said.

"Oh, she has a museum," Kara said.

"I told you, in the future, Superwoman is one of the most inspirational heroes of the 21st century, and beyond," Imra said. "And if she had been wiped out of the timeline, it would not have ended well for any of us."

Imra responded with a sigh, a bullet having been dodged for all of them.

"Just returning to say goodbye," Imra said. "Our paths are going to cross again, you know."

"Yes, I know," Kara said. "Hopefully, you can have a chance to stop by when the world isn't ending."

Imra broke into laughter and stepped forward. She touched Kara's lips with a tender little kiss. Before, Kara had a chance to respond, Imra disappeared into the distance.

' _I'll get you next time,'_ Kara thought.

* * *

The younger version of Kara Zor-El looked over the edge of a balcony, peering into the distance. Just days ago from her perspective, Krypton was gone. She saw her mother disappear in the lab, and then pretty much everything took an ugly turn for the worse.

"Enjoying the view up here.

Alia dropped down next to the younger version of her sister.

"Your mother sends her regards," Alia said.

"Mother is alive?" Kara asked.

"Yes," Alia said. "And she….she wishes to see you soon, but there's something important she needs to do…."

"It's about Kandor, isn't it?" Kara asked.

"If the restoration is complete, Krypton will live again," Alia said. "She wants to tell you in person, she really does."

Kara had grown all too used to her mother's work getting in the way. The young girl wanted to get her mother's attention.

"I know it's hard to realize this," Alia said. "But you shouldn't be your mother, you shouldn't even be your older self….you should be what you want to be, and what you can be."

"You really think I can be anything?" Kara asked.

Alia placed her hands on either side of Kara's shoulders and smiled.

"I know you can be anything you want to be because you're you," Alia said. "Trust me when I say, you'll be alright….oh and this reminds me….this is for you."

Kara held out her hands to receive a crystal. She pressed the side of it and her mother flashed into the picture.

"Hello, my dearest Kara," Alura said. "I apologize for giving you a scare, and believe me, it's been a lot longer from my perspective than it has from yours…..but I'm safe...I had been transported out. Alia and Kara…older Kara….found me in the end. And they found your aunt as well and we….located Kandor with help from Indigo."

Kara took a moment to look at the crystal.

"Be strong, Kara," Alura said. "I'll reunite with you as soon as I can….but I hope you give Eliza a chance. I think you'll like it here on Earth, and it will really give a chance for you to flourish. You won't hear people saying how you need to live up to me here anyway. Not you needed to live up to me."

Those words meant so much to Kara.

"I love you so much, Kara."

Kara smiled, these words meant even more to her. An older blonde woman made her way onto the balcony.

"I know I'm not your mother, sweetie, but I hope you'd give me a chance until she's ready to return home," Eliz said.

"Don't worry, I will," Kara said turn around, scoping a brunette girl who was within a couple of years with her age. She eyed up Kara with a bit of curiosity, as if trying to figure out how she fit into her life.

"Alex come out and say hello."

Kara turned her head off to the side and smiled. She noticed out of the corner of her eye, Supergirl flying in the opposite direction.

' _No matter what, Supergirl is my hero,'_ Kara thought.

* * *

Maxwell Lord frowned. All of the plans they made didn't really work. He picked up the phone.

"The League is more beloved than ever," Lord said. "Yes, I agree, this isn't the end. It's just a new beginning."

Lord set his phone down on the table. Tomorrow would be a new day. Let the heroes have their day today.

* * *

 **The End.**

* * *

 _Well, despite this story being done, the adventure obviously continues. Thanks for reading._


End file.
